The Call for Private Sector Engagement in Kenya’s Legislative Process
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has raised concerns about the lack of engagement from the private sector on critical legislation aimed at enhancing the business environment. Speaking at the 8th Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)-national assembly speaker’s roundtable in Mombasa, he expressed frustration over the business community’s absence during key parliamentary moments.
Ichung’wah highlighted the collaborative effort behind the 2024 finance bill, which was ultimately dropped due to Gen Z protests. He lamented that the sectors it was meant to benefit remained silent. “It was time the business community spoke and heard,” he said, emphasizing that “Your voice has a huge impact on Kenyans.”
He pointed to the recently suspended cybercrimes law as a prime example, questioning the silence from the industries it is intended to protect. “It has taken the church to speak on these issues. Where are the banks? Where are those who have lost millions in SIM swaps? Where are the private sector players whose business systems get hacked and lose millions?” the MP asked.
Ichung’wah urged the private sector to stand up and be heard, instead of watching from the sidelines. He asserted that “If we have an informed voice and kill the culture of misinformation which is destroying our country, we will go far as a nation.”
A Broader Vision for Business-Government Collaboration
The challenge was framed within the broader theme of the conference, “From Policy to Practice: Delivering through Business and Government Partnership.” While acknowledging past successes of the KEPSA-parliament partnership, such as reforms in export promotion, e-procurement, and energy market liberalisation, Ichung’wah pushed for a new, more impactful level of engagement.
He laid down a five-point challenge to the private sector, urging a shift from dialogue to deliberate and measurable action:
- Advocacy anchored in hard, objective data:When KEPSA calls for tax reform, show us what it means in jobs, exports, or productivity. Evidence-based proposals are impossible for policymakers to ignore.
- Institutionalising fiscal predictability:Help develop a multi-year revenue and tax framework with Parliament and the National Treasury, giving investors confidence and reducing uncertainty.
- Unlocking domestic investment:Identify and remove legislative barriers that restrict credit and innovation financing for local investors and SMEs. Let us build a legislative environment that rewards enterprise, aligning with President William Ruto’s vision of a first-world economy.
- Shared accountability:Remind the private sector of its duty to pay taxes faithfully, create decent jobs, and invest ethically as the government works to open up the economy.
- Deepening engagement at the county level:Support devolved units to create private-sector-led budgets and growth plans for inclusive, bottom-up development.
Commitment to Predictable and Transparent Legislation
The majority leader reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to a predictable and transparent legislative environment. He called for the 8th Roundtable to be a catalyst for tangible results, “moving the nation from policy to practice, from dialogue to delivery, and from aspiration to action.”