Cabinet approves policies to spur economic growth

The Cabinet on Thursday approved several policies aimed at boosting the economy and tackling key issues such as unemployment and radicalisation.

They include Kenya Youth Development Policy (KYDP), 2019, which seeks to coordinate youth programmes so as to address these two issues as well as exclusion, cyber crime and trafficking in persons.

The Cabinet meeting that President Uhuru Kenyatta chaired at State House in Nairobi also approved Business Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

BUSINESS LAWS

The amendments are aimed at improving the business environment so as to attract more investments and raise the country's ranking in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index to position 50 by 2020.

Among the statutes identified for amendment include the Law of Contract Act, Industrial Training Act, Registration of Documents Act, the Survey Act, Stamp Duty Act, Kenya Information and Communications Act and National Construction Authority Act.

Others are the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Land Registration Act, Business Registration Act, Companies Act and the Insolvency Act.

COOPERATIVES

The Cabinet meeting that Deputy President William Ruto attended also approved the National Cooperative Policy.

It establishes an institutional framework for enhanced coordination of cooperative societies and seeks to deepen deployment of ICTs in management of saccos as well as promote good corporate governance.

The Cabinet further approved regulations for non-deposit taking saccos, the aim being to protect Kenyans against risks of poor investment decisions, inadequate transparency in information disclosure, disregard for members' interests and self-preservation by officials of saccos.

MENTAL HEALTH

On health, the Cabinet approved establishment of Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital and the designation of Gilgil Hospital as a satellite mental health facility of Mathari.

The President directed the Ministry of Health to establish a taskforce on the status of mental health in Kenya and craft with new policies to address growing mental health concerns.

The findings of the taskforce which will be discussed in the Cabinet within 90 days and will assist government in allocation of resources to mental health.

ROADS

The meeting also authorised piloting of Engineered Base Stabiliser (EBS) roads in Nairobi County.

The EBS is a new road construction technology that is considered cheaper than conventional approaches.

The pilot will be carried out on low-traffic access roads in Kibra and Dagoretti South constituencies and replicated in other areas if it proves successful.

MENSTRUAL HYGIENE

The Cabinet meeting also discussed and approved the National Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Policy, which highlights MHM as a rights issue.

The policy also bring the matter tot he forefront of the country's health and development agenda by considering prevailing social, economic, cultural and demographic contexts of women and girls.

The Cabinet further approved extension of the ban on logging by one year but the Ministry of Environment was directed to establish an inter-agency team to undertake an assessment of mature forests ready for harvesting and report back by April 2020.

OTHER ISSUES

On agriculture, the Cabinet approved Kenya’s membership to Africa Rice Centre (Africarice) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

On aviation, authority was given for ratification of bilateral air service agreements with South Africa and Botswana.

The meeting also approved hosting of the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Global Gathering 2020 in Kenya.

NEF is an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), in partnership with the German Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Its objective is to produce African scientists and thinkers, comparable to Sir Albert Einstein, through working with the youth.

By hosting the global event, the Cabinet noted that Kenya will cement its status as a leading science, technology and innovation hub in the region.