Kenya and UK hold workshop to improve business regulation and put shillings in people’s pockets
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-11)

Three-day workshop will equip officials with policy tools to improve regulatory environment and overcome barriers to attract investment and growth

Tuesday 11 March - The UK and Kenya have joined forces to hold a three-day workshop for Kenyan officials to improve regulations that underpin the running of businesses in Kenya.

The event, held in the East-African economic hub of Nairobi, aims to address challenges faced by business while operating in Kenya and targets both homegrown and those looking to establish themselves in the country. It will also provide Kenyan officials with the tools to better regulate the way businesses can operate in Kenya, by learning how these are applied and implemented in the UK. Increased efficiencies in this space would also be boost intra-African trade though increased compliance with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Speaking during the on the first day of the workshop:

Richlove Mensah, Director, Trade and Investment, Kenya & Regional Director, East Africa, said:

Whilst no business environment will ever be perfect, Kenya must seize its economic potential and introduce rapid reforms to regulation that will unlock jobs and economic growth - ultimately putting mores shillings in the pockets of the people.

We want to capitalize on a bumper year of trade, through this excellent and timely UK-Kenya partnership. The UK is listening to the challenges, and we are applying our regulatory excellence to help deliver the solutions as a long-term partner for Kenya – we go far when we go together.

Dr Walter Ongeti, Chief Executive Officer at KENAS, said:

Accreditation plays a vital role in ensuring regulatory reliability, fostering trust by guaranteeing competence, impartiality, and compliance with international standards.

Esther Nagari, Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), said:

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is committed to advancing Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) that drive economic growth, facilitate trade, and safeguard consumer interests. A transparent, predictable, and evidence-based regulatory framework is essential for fostering investment and enhancing industry competitiveness. By integrating key tools such as Regulatory Impact Assessments, post-implementation reviews, and stakeholder engagement, we can create a more efficient and business-friendly regulatory environment.

UKAS’s International Director, Rob Bettinson, said:

I am delighted to be in Nairobi, representing UKAS in this UK-Kenya workshop to support improvements in regulatory practice. The global recognition of accredited conformity assessment enables a test or certification to be used in multiple markets, reducing costly trade barriers for businesses. By working together to share global good practice on effective quality infrastructures of standards and accreditation, and proportionate and sound regulation, we can promote trade and economic growth in both our countries.

Daniel Mansfield, Head of Policy Engagement at BSI (British Standards Institute) said:

We’re delighted to be a part of this event and to share our expertise around international standards and their role in policymaking. Raising awareness and understanding of the value that comes from the use of standards and quality infrastructure to inform policy can bring huge benefits, including helping to enhance business environments, boost trade and accelerate economic growth.

We look forward to continuing collaborating, alongside our Standards Partnership and Commonwealth Standards Network programmes, which both have the potential to accelerate progress and unlock future opportunities to benefit consumers, organizations and governments around the world.

British businesses have reported that the challenging operating environment is the main barrier to business operations in Kenya, along with power outages and high electricity costs. The challenges cited include onerous import procedures, a complex tax regime, and local ownership requirements in some service sectors including the insurance sector.

According to the Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS), Kenyan businesses also face challenges. These include a complex regulatory landscape that frequently changes, meaning businesses may struggle to stay up to date with evolving requirements to stay compliant, whilst at the same time achieving accreditation can be hard, as regular training, assessments, and upskilling are necessary to meet evolving accreditation requirements.

The workshop is another example of the UK being a long-term partner for long-term economic growth, and supports support business environment reforms as set out in the UK-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement. The agreement ensures that all companies operating in Kenya, including British businesses, can continue to benefit from duty-free access to the UK market.

EDITORS NOTES

The UK Kenya Strategic Partnership and Trade & Investment Factsheet

Trade and Investment Factsheet - Kenya (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67b70e82bd116e3d7b1cf338/kenya-trade-and-investment-factsheet-2025-02-21.pdf)
- The United Kingdom is one of the largest foreign investors in Kenya, and British companies are amongst the largest taxpayers in the country.
- The British High Commission Nairobi estimates that 150 British enterprises currently operate in Kenya, directly employing over 250,000 Kenyans.
- Trade between the UK and Kenya is currently worth £1.7 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2024, an increase of 8.0% or £129 million over the same period in 2023.
The UK-Kenya strategic partnership joint statement can be found here (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-kenya-strategic-partnership-2020-2025).

About United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the National Accreditation Body for the UK, as appointed by the UK Government. Its role is to assess that organisations providing conformity assessment services (certification, testing, inspection, calibration and validation & verification) are meeting a required standard of performance. UKAS accreditation demonstrates an organisation’s competence, impartiality and performance capability against nationally and internationally recognised standards, supporting better regulation and reducing technical barriers to international trade. For further information please visit www.ukas.com (http://www.ukas.com).

About KENAS

KENAS is the National Accreditation Body for Kenya as established by the Kenya Accreditation Service Act, 2019. It assesses and accredits conformity assessment bodies, both private and public, providing certification, medical testing, inspection, testing, calibration, and proficiency testing, validation, and verification services. It is the only accreditation body in East Africa who is a signatory member of IAF, ILAC, AFRAC. KENAS accredits over 260 conformity assessment bodies in 13 African countries.

About KEBS

Since Kenya Bureau of Standards’ inception in 1974, its main activities have grown from the development of standards and quality control for a limited number of locally made products in the 1970s to the provision of more comprehensive standards development, Metrology, Conformity Assessment, Training and Certification services.

With the re-establishment of the East African Community (EAC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), KEBS activities now include participation in the development and implementation of SMCA activities at the regional level where it participates in the harmonization of standards, measurements and conformity assessment regimes for regional integration.KEBS operates the National Enquiry Point in support of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). For more information visit: https://www.kebs.org/about-us/.

About BSI (British Standards Institution)

The BSI (British Standards Institution) is the UK National Standards Body. We aid innovation, support economic growth and improve quality, safety and well-being through standardization. We’re appointed by the government to develop British Standards and represent the UK’s interests in standards development at a European and global level. For more information visit: https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/

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