Doing business in Kenya: updates regarding COVID-19

Nieuwsbericht | 28-05-2020 | 17:53

Update 28 May 2020

• The Government of Kenya unveiled an 8-point economic plan valued at KES 53.7 billion to stimulate economy after the effect of Covid-19. See the 1 pager for details.
• World Bank grants Kenya a loan of KES 4.6 billion to address the locust invasion. For more information see the press release here.

• The organization COLEACP carried out a survey on the impact of corona on horticulture sector in Kenya. Kindly find the insights gained in their report.  
• Kindly find the Kenya Gazette Supplement no. 44 with the Pandemic Response and Management Bill 2020 via this link – The bill is currently going through parliament and has a number of proposals on social economic impact including employment contracts. MMAN advocates published an overview with the highlights of this proposed Bill here.  
• The EU Delegation in Nairobi is mapping the European private sector investment in Kenya, including potential opportunities to invest in in order to identify the private sector needs and to better tailor the EU-Kenya public-private dialogue. If you are a Dutch business investing in Kenya we kindly ask you to fill in the online survey if you have not done so already.
• The Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) published an International Action Agenda COVID-19 [in Dutch]. In the agenda the organizations propose steps to support Dutch businesses involved in international business. You can find the agenda here.  

Further information and useful links

Below we provide an overview of useful websites based on the type of questions we receive. In case you have suggestions for important and useful additions to this list, kindly share them with us by sending us an email, nai-lnv@minbuza.n.l

• For Dutch entrepreneurs that are doing business in African countries, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency made an overview of useful information in Dutch.
• A number of frequently asked questions for entrepreneurs are provided by the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency here.
• The European Commission’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic includes a number of restrictions to transport, which can be found on the website of the European Commission.
• The Kenya Private Sector Alliance has opened a 24-hour call center and information portal for businesses. You can find more information on their website.
• This website gives an overview of information provided by the Government of Kenya on COVID-19 related measures, created by the Netherlands Embassy.
• Please find details and ananalysis of the changes contained Tax Law Amendments Act of 25 April 2020 by Price Waterhouse Coopers here. As well as an analysis on the proposed Finance Bill, which was published on 5 May 2020 here: https://pwc.to/3cwVd2Z.
• The EU delegation in Kenya has published a factsheet on available funding opportunities to leverage investments by the private sector in Kenya. You can find the factsheet here. Find information on additional support by the EU to bolster food security here:  https://bit.ly/2XcNCAu
• The Kenya Ports Authority extends free storage period for import and export containers. The extension is valid for 90 days from 18 May 2020 and is subject to review thereafter depending on the business dynamics. Find details here: https://bit.ly/3g7mR9b

Events

Due to the COVID-19, many of the upcoming events have been rescheduled. As soon as new dates have been confirmed we will share them in our agenda.

COVID-19 in the Netherlands

For questions regarding travel restriction for the Netherlands, travelling abroad and visas, have a look at information from the Netherlands government here.
More general information about COVID-19 in the Netherlands can be found here.

Important note

Owing to changing nature of the COVID pandemic, the current situation and government measures in place are continuously evolving. Please continue to update yourself on the must current state of affairs, including by verifying information with the relevant business associations or your local partner.

Together we will get through these tough times. Stay safe

Questions for the agriculture department can be addressed directly to nai-lnv@minbuza.nl. Questions on general trade can be direct to nai-ea@minbuza.nl. For any other questions for the Embassy, this website links to the general contact information of the Netherlands Embassy in Nairobi.
For the latest updates follow us on twitter on @NLAgiKenya and the Netherlands Embassy on @NLinKenya and Facebook.