System offers seamless link for deliveries and payments

James Munyeria, creator of Mzizzi.com. PHOTO | COURTESY 

By JAMES KARIUKI

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James Munyeria set out to sell honey online and did set up an e-commerce platform for his venture.

He enrolled several women groups dealing in honey production and for a while enjoyed considerable traffic on his nascent site. However, sooner than later he experienced a new hurdle when no one delivered paid orders while it took long to receive payment for delivered goods.

Standardisation dilemma in Kenyan higher education

We need the best and brightest enlightening and empowering the next generation of leaders in creative formats. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By SCOTT BELLOWS

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Summary

• University standardisation represents one of the most repugnant, useless, and self-defeating ideas in modern tertiary education.

Pension returns fall by half in Q3

Zamara Group chief executive Sundeep Raichura. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By CHARLES MWANIKI

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Summary

• The one-year median return for funds stood at eight per cent (average return at 8.2 per cent) by the end of September — half the return a year earlier — although they still outperformed inflation which averaged 5.7 per cent in the 12-month period.
• Equities returns averaged -6.6 per cent in the period for the schemes that were, however, boosted by fixed income investments, which provided an average return of 14.4 per cent.

How Kenya can ease the tax burden on employees

Workers follow speeches during the May 1 Labour Day Celebrations at Uhuru Park in Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By CALEB LANGAT AND TIMOTHY MUKITI

Summary

• Employees are clearly overtaxed. To alleviate the heavy burden on employees, the government needs to introduce meaningful ways of easing the tax burden, including widening the tax bands which are extremely narrow.

Cooking gas dealers want import tests scrapped

Police officers stand guard at an illegal cooking gas plant in Karatina, Nyeri County. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By GALGALLO FAYO

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Summary

• Dealers have asked the High Court to suspend the notice issued by the ERC on October 27 announcing that all Liquefied Petroleum Gas imports will be subjected to mandatory tests before entry into the country.
• The dealers claim that no public participation took place before the notice was issued, adding they were not given enough time to comply with the directive.

Cheap food slows inflation, eases fuel, airtime tax burden

A litre of petrol retailed at Sh116.48 last month, down from Sh117.54 in September and higher than Sh101 in October last year. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By GEORGE OMONDI

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Summary

• Official data shows that prices of nearly all basic food items including the staple maize flour, sugar and vegetables fell in October, reducing the impact of increased fuel and airtime expenses.
• Inflation rose to its highest rate in nearly a year in September to 5.7 percent, the statistics office said on Friday, reflecting the impact of a new value added tax on fuel of eight percent.
• data shows that prices of nearly all basic food items including the staple maize flour, sugar and vegetables fell in October, reducing the impact of increased fuel and airtime expenses.
• Inflation rose to its highest rate in nearly a year in September to 5.7 percent, the statistics office said on Friday, reflecting the impact of a new value added tax on fuel of eight percent.

Tax filing lifts Kenya’s business profile

Felipe Jaramillo, the WB Kenya country director. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By PATRICK ALUSHULA

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Summary

• The Doing Business 2019: Training for Reform report that surveyed 190 economies ranks Kenya among top 10 most improved, having jumped from previous year’s position 80.
• This is despite slow registration of property and issuance of construction permits remaining the biggest setbacks on the economy. “In recent years, Kenya has embraced a strong reform agenda aimed at boosting investment and creating jobs.