President Kenyatta asks for pro-growth laws

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said Kenya needs to enact laws that promote local innovations to speed up industrialisation.

Consequently, he has urged Parliament to come up with legislation that supports technologies and spur economic growth through entrepreneurship.

“If we are truly to become an industrialised nation, we must make most goods instead of continuing to import second hand vehicles and other goods. Let us make these things ourselves because we have the capacity to do so,” the President said on Friday.

He spoke while presiding over the 20th anniversary celebrations at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

The President said the 30 per cent government tender allocation to young people is one way of empowering them. Last year, the gap between imports and exports widened to Sh792.2 billion in the first nine months despite the decline in crude oil prices in the global market.

Imports grew 15 per cent to hit Sh1.2 trillion by the end of September, overshadowing exports that only increased by 7.5 per cent to Sh409 billion.

Kenya imports mostly machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics.