Kenya: Trade implications of announced Strategic Plan.
Description
On 21 July 2009 the Kenyan Ministry of Industrialization announced its Strategic Plan (2008 - 2012). Overall this Plan seeks to create an enabling environment for industrialization in Kenya and is part of the broader Kenya Vision 2030 long-term national policy. This Plan has numerous implications for foreign commercial interests including:
1. Measures that over the longer term will have the effect of reducing the demand for imported raw materials. Page 17 of the Plan states "It is envisaged that through use of locally available raw materials, the local content of Kenya’s products will increase significantly thereby contributing to the medium term goal of 2012 of reducing imports in key local industries by 25%." More generally, strengthening the local content of domestic manufacturers is a goal of the Plan (see, for example, page xiv).
2. Measures to restrict 25 percent of public procurement to micro, small, and medium sized enterprises (MSMIs). Page 34 of the Plan lists one of the activities to be undertaken as "Collaboration with stakeholders to implement the provision of 25% Government Procurement to MSMIs".
3. "Strategic objective 3" of the Plan is "Attracting Local and Foreign Industrial Investments" (see page 32ff).
4. Measures to reduce imported counterfeit products (the harm to the Kenyan economy is described on page 19).
Any Evidence-Based Deliberation:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Is there anything in the public record to suggest that evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed measure was considered during official deliberations? | Don't know |
| Is there any evidence that alternatives to the proposed measure were considered? | Don't Know |
| Is there anything in the public record that suggests that empirical evidence informed the comparison across the alternatives available to government? | Don't Know |
| Was such evidence identified? | Don't Know |
| Is such evidence publicly available? | Don't Know |
| Did the official decision-maker in question provide an explanation as to why a chosen measure was favoured over alternatives? | Don't Know |
| Is there any evidence to suggest that potentially affected trading partners were consulted before the measures were taken? | Don't Know |
| Is there any evidence that safeguards have been put in place to ensure that implementation of the initiative is transparent and non-discriminatory? | Don't Know |
| Did the government state its intention to review the measure within one year of implementation? | No |
Date Discovered: 22/07/2009
Implemented: No
Date of inception:
GTA Evaluation: Amber
Source:
A copy of the Strategic Plan can be found at http://www.tradeandindustry.go.ke/documents/Strategic_Plan_Final_2008_12...
Government Response:
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