Category: Policy Pulse

Government decisions, regulation and public-policy changes that matter to business, markets and investment across Africa.

Policy Pulse

One permit, four price lists: What a Nairobi licence costs

Nairobi has moved business licensing online and bundled its permit, and a national law now promises decisions within 28 days. The charges behind the permit still sit in…

Policy Pulse

Kenya’s counties collect more, but still fall short

Kenya’s counties raised more of their own money in 2025/26 than ever before and still missed their targets. Beneath the total, the gaps between counties owe more to…

Policy Pulse

Devolution’s toll-booth maze: why commerce across forty-seven counties stumbles

Decentralised administration was meant to bring governance to the grassroots. Instead, it spawned a patchwork of internal trade barriers that treat domestic shipping like international export. By Our…

Policy Pulse

The factory floor and the exchequer: Kenya’s industrial credibility gap

Nairobi wants an export-led manufacturing renaissance, but capital allocators want a tax regime that does not change its mind before the foundation concrete sets. By Kirimi Mbogo An…

Policy Pulse

Kenya races to draft AI rules as report warns of escalating risks

Nairobi prepares a national regulatory framework to balance technological adoption against growing cyber threats and systemic economic disruption. By Newsbeat Desk NAIROBI — Kenya is accelerating plans to…

Policy Pulse

Podium politics, empty factory floors

From century-old multinationals to street-level hawkers, executive ultimatums are reshaping Kenya’s investment landscape. By Kirimi Mbogo The industrial expanses stretching across the rift valley do not look like…

Policy Pulse

Data in the driver’s seat: Kenya demands standards for its connected trucks

Efficiency in East African logistics is not a luxury; it is survival. Yet bureaucracies excel at standardising everything except their own execution. If regulations outpace the private sector’s…

Policy Pulse

The tax that collects itself

Why governments favour consumption levies over income tax, and why the poor end up carrying the load By Kirimi Mbogo Nairobi’s matatu touts do not read finance bills,…

Policy Pulse

The regulation burden: How many licences does a Kenyan business really need?

The regulation burden By Muturi Githae Kenya has digitised business registration, created a single business permit and promised a single licensing window. Yet the private sector counts more…

Policy Pulse

Kenya’s debt problem is becoming a business problem

The cost of borrowing By Our Staff Writer A Kenyan bank has a choice to make. It can lend to a manufacturer seeking money for a new production…