Legislators in pledge to ensure peace for businesses during polls

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Lawmakers inked a pledge with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) promising a conducive business environment and to continuously engage for peace to prevail.

A section of political leaders say they will partner with business owners to ensure the 2017 electioneering period remains conducive for local businesses as well as foreign investors.

The lawmakers, including Speaker Justin Muturi, Majority Leader Aden Duale, Minority Leader Francis Nyenze and Minority Chief Whip Jakoyo Midiwo, inked a pledge with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) promising to continuously engage for peace to prevail.

They said Kenya could not afford to jeopardise its stature as a leading destination for foreign investment that saw financiers pump in billions of dollars for 96 projects in various sectors including roads, ports, rail, real estate, manufacturing and energy.

The agreement, dubbed the MKenya Daima pledge, was signed following a Speakers Roundtable Symposium in Mombasa last week.

“We can mobilise the right amount of investments and soar up our competitiveness if our politics does not balkanise this country and affect our businesses adversely,” said Kepsa Director Nick Nesbitt.

Mr Nesbitt said political stability was key to Kenya's transformative agenda of ensuring its competitiveness as a business and investment destination.

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Kepsa chief executive Carole Kariuki hailed public-private partnerships saying the last seven years had seen 105 Bills passed and assented into law that made Kenya more business-friendly.

“Last year, the Special Economic Zones Act, Companies Act, Business Registration Service Act, and the Insolvency Act were reviewed via a healthy interaction with the National Assembly that saw Kenya’s position on the Ease of Doing Business index improve,” she noted.

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Speaker Muturi encouraged trade lobbies to engage the political class in various regions to avert flare-ups that could disrupt business operations in various industries as well as seeking solutions to the high cost of power.