The Senate and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) have urged counties to eliminate bureaucratic barriers that continue to frustrate investors, warning that streamlined regulations and efficient service delivery are essential to unlocking economic growth and strengthening devolution.
Speaking at the opening of the Senate Liaison Committee Roundtable, committee chair Kathuri Murungi said persistent inefficiencies are discouraging investment despite ongoing reforms. He cited unpredictable licensing procedures, multiple levies, fragmented regulations, delayed payments, and administrative bottlenecks as major obstacles.
“Too many investors still face unpredictable licensing regimes, multiple levies, fragmented regulations, delayed payments and bureaucratic bottlenecks,” Murungi said. He added that such challenges stifle innovation, discourage investment, and undermine the promise of devolution.
Murungi noted that counties remain key engines of economic growth but are constrained by weak implementation of existing laws.
“The gap between good policy and effective execution is what this Roundtable seeks to close. We must fix the red tape choking our counties if we are to unlock their full potential as hubs of agribusiness, manufacturing, digital innovation, tourism and trade.”
Senator Kathuri Murungi
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Discussions also highlighted broader structural challenges, including poor logistics systems, inadequate utilities, outdated market infrastructure, fragmented markets, and high agricultural production costs. Other concerns raised were gaps in digital infrastructure, cybersecurity risks, and inefficiencies at trade points such as the Port of Mombasa, all of which reduce county competitiveness.
Murungi urged counties to strengthen institutional capacity, modernize market infrastructure, improve regulatory efficiency, and ensure predictable service delivery systems to attract investors. He also called for better coordination between national and county governments to eliminate duplication of roles and reduce unnecessary charges that burden businesses.
“This roundtable continues that tradition. It is not merely a talk shop. It is a strategic platform for joint problem solving where legislation meets implementation and where policy meets the realities of doing business in our counties,” Murungi said.
“These are not abstract issues. They directly affect jobs, livelihoods and the ease of doing business across our 47 counties,” Murungi added, pledging that the Senate will fast‑track legislative interventions and strengthen oversight to ensure compliance.
By Masaki Enock
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