President Uhuru Kenyatta assures foreign investors

By PSCU and DPPS

Kenya: The Government has put in place the right institutional framework to create a conducive environment for doing business in the country, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.

The President said the Government has also simplified the tax regime and introduced one-stop service delivery centres with the ultimate aim of reducing the cost of doing business.

Mr Kenyatta said this when he met a group of international manufacturers who paid him a courtesy call at State House Nairobi.

 “We as a Government want to establish a strong working relationship with investors and provide the right incentives including a friendlier tax regime for a win-win situation,” the President said.

He told the investors that Kenya’s constitution protects both human and workers rights.

Kenyatta said the Government attached a lot of importance to the textiles industry and classified the sector as core in creation of employment, poverty reduction and rural development.

The President said the Government was doing everything possible to guarantee a secure environment for both Kenyans and visitors adding that unemployment among youth was also being addressed.

 “The Government will fully co-operate with investors interested in the textile and apparel sector and is learning from the mistakes of the past to ensure success and sustainability,” he added.

Tremendous progress

President Kenyatta said leaders in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda had made tremendous progress in improvement of rail, road and other infrastructure to facilitate free cross-border movements.

He commended the investors for expressing interest in the East African region as a whole.

Meanwhile, Deputy President William Ruto has urged local and international investors to take advantage of the numerous investment opportunities in the country.

He said the Government will continue to focus its efforts on providing quality and affordable electricity and improve infrastructure to attract investors, saying the private sector was the engine to economic growth.

Mr Ruto said Kenya was rich with rewarding investment opportunities in key economic sectors that needed to be exploited.

He was speaking during a dinner hosted in honour of textile and apparel investors held at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, on Wednesday evening.

“I wish to proudly confirm that we are ready to do business with you. I am confident that if you are looking for a business destination, then I want to assure you this evening that you have found the destination,” Ruto told the investors.