Kenya raises regulations transparency with online portal

 

From left: KenInvest MD Moses Ikiara, US ambassador Robert Godec, the agency’s chairperson, Anne Kirima-Muchoki, and UNACTAD’s Mukhisa Kituyi during the launch of the e-regulations platform this month. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU 

In Summary

• Launched early this month on the sidelines of the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference, the portal is designed to make administrative procedures transparent, swift and efficient.

Foreign and local investors can now access Kenya’s investment regulatory data on one platform following the launch of an e-portal aimed enhancing ease of doing business.

kenya.eregulations.org is an initiative by the Kenya Investment Authority and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) aimed at providing investors with an easy-to-access guide on regulations.

Launched early this month on the sidelines of the 10th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference that ended on December 18, the portal is designed to make administrative procedures transparent, swift and efficient.

This is part of the government and KenInvest strategy to enhance ease of doing business and offer better environment for private sector.

It comes at a time Kenya’s rating on the Global Enterprise Registration Index (GER - www.ger.co), which rates countries’ online information portals for business and investor registration, has moved to the maximum 10 points.

Mukhisa Kituyi, the secretary general of UNCTAD, said the launch of the e-platform will eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and facilitate investment.

“Kenya’s eRegulations system shows that it is possible to improve administrative procedures without changing laws. Just simplifying and clarifying what already exists — at the level of procedures and at the level of implementation —will lead to better services,” Dr Kituyi noted.

Moses Ikiara, the managing director of KenInvest, said the e-regulations will provide investors and entrepreneurs with total transparency on rules and procedures, through detailed, practical and up-to-date descriptions of steps.

“While facilitating the simplification of procedures, the system also aims to promote and stimulate public-private dialogue on rules and procedures — with the ultimate aim to enhance ease of doing business in Kenya,” Dr Ikaria said.

Kenya, he added, has made great strides in the well-regarded ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings compiled by the World Bank, rising an impressive 28 places in this year’s list.

The eRegulations are a highly valuable addition to Kenya’s business landscape that “places our nation on a strong reputational footing with the international investor community.”

In October, the World Bank’s Ease of Doing business index indicated that Kenya had improved 28 helped by reforms in business and property registration, electricity connections and access to credit.

Kenya was ranked at position 108 out of 189 countries globally compared to 136 last year, making it the third most improved economy.

This stopped a downward trend since 2011 when Kenya slipped to position 109 from 98 a year earlier, 121 in 2012 and 137 in 2013.

The report showed time taken for businesses to be connected to electricity has reduced to 110 days from 145 last year while the country rose to position 28 in ease of accessing credit from 116 last year.