GOOD REASONS TO INVEST IN KENYA

There are various good reasons that will attract you to invest in Kenya.
These are: 
  • A Range of Tax Treaties and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements
  • A Stable Pro-Investment Government
  • Business Friendly Regulatory Reforms
  • Large Pool of Skilled English Speaking Enterprising Workers
  • Strategic Location as a Regional Financial, Communication and Transportation Hub
  • Well Developed Social and Physical Infrastructure
  • Fully Liberalized Economy
  • Preferential Market Access within the Region the European Union (EU) Americas and Asia
  • Well Established Local and Foreign Private Sector

Kenya offers an appealing investment climate for investors looking for a low cost, efficient production and service location from which to target local consumption or export markets. This is because Kenya has a number of crucial advantages which investors can exploit for international competitiveness.

These include but not limited to:

1. Enabling Economic Policy Framework: The Kenyan Government has undertaken substantive economic liberalization and reforms measures to promote trade and investment, including abolition of price, interest rate and exchange controls, and the removal of some import licenses. The Government has instituted measures to sustain macro-economic stability such as prudent fiscal and monetary policies, improvements in economic governance, and privatization of some public enterprises. 

2. Supportive Legal Environment: Kenya is a Multi-party Democracy with a unicameral Parliament which creates Laws which are administered by the Legislative arm of the Government. The Kenyan Constitution protects private property and provides safeguards against expropriation of such property without compensation. Kenya is also a signatory to Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), an agency of the World Bank and a Member of the International Council of Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). In case of Commercial disputes, Kenya has a Commercial Court under the Kenyan Judiciary.

 

3. Strategic Geographical Position and Access to Markets: Kenya is strategically located as a gateway to East and Central African region. With a border to the Indian Ocean, Kenya is well suited as a production and distribution base to service Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and other Indian Ocean Islands. Kenya is a beneficiary of several trade preferential arrangements which include:

  • The African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) which allows for quota free and duty free access to the USA market for over 6,000 items produced in Kenya.
  • The East African Community (It consists of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi).
  • The 20-nation Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
  • The new Africa Caribbean and Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which gives duty free access to the EU.
  • The general Generalized System of Preference (GSP) system.

 

4. Well established private sector and entrepreneurial tradition: Kenya pursues a mixed economy and her dynamic and diversified private sector comprises numerous small scale local enterprises, medium sized businesses and multi-national companies. They provide an array of manufactured goods, business services and agricultural products for local consumption and also for export. Investors will find raw materials, components and specialized professional services of international standards readily available.

 

5. Abundant and well educated human resources: Kenya has a labour force of over 15 million which is one of the best educated in the world, English-speaking and extremely adaptable. Qualified professional staff can be hired at reasonable pay-scales, in all occupations and at all levels of expertise.

 

6. Established physical infrastructure: Kenya has a relatively well developed physical infrastructural facilities including, four international airports, an extensive road and railway network, a modern deep sea port at Mombasa capable of handling bulk and other containerized cargo, an expanding, liberalized energy sector and digital telecommunication networks. As a result, Kenya continues to develop as financial, other services and transport hub for the East and Central African region. 

7. Social Amenities and Quality of life: Investors will find living and working in Kenya a pleasant experience. The country has in abundance excellent accommodation, shopping, education, healthcare and recreational facilities which will provide a high quality of life for both the investor and his family.