Members of the National Assembly led by Speaker Moses Masika Wetang'ula and representatives from the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) are set to converge in Mombasa for stakeholder engagement aimed at translating policy intent into economic reality.

The 8th Speaker’s Roundtable (SRT) co- sponsored by the National Assembly and KEPSA will take place from November 6th to 8th, 2025 in Mombasa County under the theme: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦: 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱

𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘺𝘢'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤-𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮

The SRT is Kenya’s premier Public-Private Dialogue platform, designed to reinforce collaboration and drive policy reforms that enhance the investment climate and overall competitiveness.

The forum serves as a critical mechanism to jointly review existing policies, identify essential laws for revision or expedited enactment, and address legislative gaps crucial for sustained economic growth.

Participants will utilize the targeted breakout sessions where the National Assembly Committees of Energy, ICT, Trade, Finance, Regional Integration and Health will hold technical engagements with their KEPSA Sector Board counterparts to ensure the legislative agenda is prioritized based on the private sector’s most pressing challenges.

𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢

Critical to the meeting, is the discussion on core barriers currently impeding sustained economic growth. These include:

𝟭. 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 : The growing backlog of domestic arrears (pending bills) owed by public institutions is a major discussion point. This chronic issue causes severe liquidity constraints, reduces cash flow, and is driving up bankruptcy rates, particularly among Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

𝟮. 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀: Participants will discuss the uncompetitive cost of energy. Kenya’s industrial electricity costs average US$0.18 per kilowatt-hour, significantly higher than regional competitors like Ethiopia and Egypt (US$0.05), hindering manufacturing and industrial growth.

𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: The lack of tax harmonization (excise duties, VAT, income taxes) within the East African Community (EAC) continues to impede the free movement of goods and capital. Priority action includes harmonizing tax regimes and expediting the ratification of the EAC Customs Union Protocol amendment to combat illicit trade.

𝟰. 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 : Bottlenecks at the Mombasa Port and related infrastructure persist, with only 40% of cargo cleared within the extended four-day free period, leading to additional demurrage costs. Reforms to port efficiency and the Inland Container Depot (ICDN) are key topics.

𝟱. 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿-𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀: The digital economy is under siege. An alarming 4.5 billion cyber threat events were recorded between April and June 2025—an 80.7% increase from the previous quarter. The financial sector alone spends an estimated KES 900 million annually to mitigate these losses, underscoring the need for legislative action.

𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Members of the National Assembly will engage KEPSA to synergize legislative and oversight actions including legislative prioritization to identify and fast-track critical laws for revision or enactment, including strengthening the fight against illicit trade and ensuring laws support research commercialization.

Additionally participants will seek policy alignment to ensure new legislation, including the proposed Data Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025, clarifies enforcement mechanisms and aligns with global standards, which is vital given the massive surge in cyber threat events.

The expected culmination of the retreat is the adoption of a set of resolutions and the establishment of a structured monitoring and follow-up framework to track the implementation of agreements, ensuring true accountability to the business community.