Indications are that the government will be lifting the coronavirus lockdown soon. Yet I fear for the Kisumu Breweries Limited factory, by far the biggest recent investment in the Western Kenya region and which has remained closed since March 23 following closure of bars, if the National Treasury alters the tax regime that made the investment attractive in the first place. In a public notice published on May 29, the National Treasury sent out a notice that it plans to eliminate duty remissions enjoyed by the Kisumu plant.
This factory is the most significant private investment in Western Kenya in recent years. Yet barely one and a half years since it commence operations, a dark cloud looms over its head.
