About the client

Foreign Investment Advisory Service (FIAS)

Challenge

Kenya has adopted the regulatory guillotine so as to rapidly streamline the business environment. The aim of this approach is to rapidly identify and eliminate those business licenses which are not necessary or justified on health, safety and environment considerations. The necessary licenses are simplified so as to achieve the required regulatory goals while reducing the cost of doing business.

The benefits to the country are that the streamlined business environment will reduce opportunities of corruption, lower the cost of doing business, and encourage existing investments to expand. It will also lead to initiation of new investments, new employment of opportunities, reduced crime, higher economic growth rate, higher tax base, more revenue for social services, and lesser dependence on licensing revenue.

Solution

The government of Kenya (GoK) is creating a complete and official electronic registry of all business licenses and fees with positive security (meaning that only laws and rules on the list can be enforced and that businesses can legally rely on the electronic version to determine their legal obligations).

The registry shall ensure that private sector players have easy and complete access to all valid business licenses.

Services provided

NRD has been engaged by FIAS to assist the GoK in developing the E-Registry. Tasks accomplished comprised development and implementation of the official register of business licenses and fees including operation workflow and procedures, IT system, procurement specifications for HW, execution of training and awareness program.