The untapped value of the bond market
[field_converge_image]The classification of Kenya as a middle-income economy has implications on its financing for development. More specifically, the country is now considered less in need of overseas...
View ArticleDeliberate reforms entice more investors
[field_converge_image]Last week's World Bank Ease of Doing Business report shows it is much easier to start a business in Kenya than it was a year ago. The report sheds light on how easy or difficult...
View ArticleMSMEs need facilitation not regulation
[field_converge_image]The micro, small and medium enterprises survey that was recently led by the Kenya Bureau of Statistics gives very useful insights into businesses in the informal sector. The focus...
View ArticleKenya needs a manufacturing renaissance
[field_converge_image]The typical micro enterprise in Kenya is in the services sector. This is mainly wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles, and accommodation and food...
View ArticleRate cap poses a challenge to MPC decision
[field_converge_image]The Monetary Policy Committee retained the Central Bank Rate at 10 per cent in its meeting held last week on November 28. This is the second meeting since the capping of interest...
View ArticleSupervision of banks a major challenge
[field_converge_image]Three locally owned banks have faced distress in the recent past. The question as to whether or not the economy has too many banks for the number of customers, still lingers. It...
View ArticleForensic audit is discretionary
[field_converge_image]In the wake of several company losses, it is becoming common for companies to appoint forensic auditors to investigate their operations. A forensic audit differs from a financial...
View ArticleWater shortage is economic not physical
[field_converge_image]The Nairobi City Water and Sewage Company recently published a water-rationing programme for Nairobi. It was not lost on the city residents that for some areas, the announced...
View ArticleLow electricity cost is critical to growth
[field_converge_image]With the reduced short rains between October and November, water levels in the dams used in the production of hydropower are reportedly low. The effect is more reliance on the...
View ArticleObama’s post-aid legacy for Africa
[field_converge_image]Tomorrow marks the end of an era as the term of US President Barack Obama ends. His election eight years ago as the first African-American president of the world superpower was...
View ArticleThe Future of AGOA
[field_converge_image]The African Growth and Opportunities Act allows eligible African countries to export a wide range of goods to the US duty free. The tenure of the trade agreement runs until 2025...
View ArticlePension funds, bonds, best for economic growth
[field_converge_image]The bond market and the pension industry closely interlink to each other and to the economy. Businesses need long-term funds to invest in expansion, like buying new machinery and...
View ArticleIs government crowding out the SMEs?
[field_converge_image]There is an apparent reduction of loans to SMEs following the capping of interest rates. This is counterproductive because the essence of capping the rates was to reduce the cost...
View ArticleBanks should give rate cap law time
[field_converge_image]The banking amendment act that brought in a cap on interest rates for loans and a floor for deposits has been in effect for only seven months. The act fixed the maximum interest...
View ArticleUnmasking the strategies by Ponzi schemes
[field_converge_image]The Central Bank of Kenya last week warned the public again over putting money in pyramid schemes. The country has had its fair share of schemes that promise to double your money...
View ArticleM-Akiba a win for the Treasury and investors
[field_converge_image]The introduction of M-Akiba bond is a win for both the government and the public. Through this platform, the government will borrow at a lower rate of interest. The public will...
View ArticleKenya should monitor debt sustainability
[field_converge_image]Sustainability of public debt is a crucial policy problem for Kenya as a developing country. Every year, the government needs to finance its expenditure. It also expects to...
View ArticleKenya is ready for industrial take-off
[field_converge_image]Kenya is ripe for industrial take-off. The country has a well educated and youthful population, positive economic growth trend and a stable political environment, all of which...
View ArticleCompetitive products will grow industry
[field_converge_image]Competition from cheap imports remains a major challenge for the local manufacturing sector. To successfully compete in the market, it requires high quality products at prices...
View ArticleOur industry can compete globally
[field_converge_image]With globalisation and fast changes in technology, the setting in which industry growth occurs keeps changing. Markets have to constantly build capacity to compete. This means the...
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