Doing Business in Kenya

The Embassy, opened in October 2014, focuses on the three key pillars of Ireland’s new Foreign Policy - serving people, enhancing prosperity and promoting the values of the Irish people. The Embassy works to enhance the political and economic relationship between Ireland and Kenya that will deliver economic growth and jobs; maintain and strengthen links…

Family Entertainment Kenya is a wonderful country for children, with a long-list of activities to occupy and enthral younger people. In Nairobi, they can feed giraffes at the Giraffe Centre or pet and ‘adopt’ orphaned baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The Nairobi Railway Museum is a favourite destination for local school students…

Most foreigners need a visa to visit Kenya. Business visas must be arranged at the nearest Kenyan embassy or High Commission before travelling to Kenya. Tourist visas, which bar any work or commercial activity, can be issued on arrival at major Kenyan airports and borders. Visas for children aged under 16 are free. An online…

Importation of goods into Kenya is an elaborate process that entails various documentation and procedures. Lead times are available on the Kenya Ports Authority website www.kpa.co.ke The documents required during the import process are: Bill of lading Cargo release order Certificate of conformity Commercial invoice Declaration of customs value Import Declaration Form Packing list Proof…

The Kenyan tax system has various taxes both direct and indirect including Income Tax, Value Added Tax (VAT), and customs and excise duties, which are all collected by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Direct taxes include: Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Corporation Tax Withholding Tax Advance Tax Pay As You Earn Employment income in Kenya…

The BIK Steering Committee was represented at a KEPSA-organised briefing on the 29th May, 2018 by Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i and his team on immigration matters of relevance to the private sector. Much of the discussion centered on the current work permit verification exercise so we thought it might be useful to share the…

Three-quarters of Kenya’s labour force of 18 million people earn their living from agriculture, including from subsistence farming and livestock herding, although accelerating urbanisation will have an impact on that figure. In total, 12.6 million Kenyans worked in the so-called ‘informal sector’ in 2015, a number that rose 6 per cent from the year before.…

The Registrar of Companies is responsible for registering businesses in Kenya. The process, which now takes between three and six weeks, is relatively straightforward, especially given the recent introduction of a company name search facility on the government’s online portal, www.ecitizen.go.ke. Consult the Registrar of Companies, which is a department of the Attorney General’s office, for full…