The Investment Promotion and Facilitation Bill 2023 proposes a minimum requirement of KSh 5 million for individuals seeking investment certificates. Under the proposed Investment Promotion and Facilitation Bill 2023.
The bill, currently undergoing public participation, aims to bolster the investment landscape in Kenya and attract both local and foreign investors.
Foreign investors will need to meet a minimum investment requirement of $500,000, approximately KSh 80 million.
According to the bill, investors will be able to get the certificate if the amount to be invested by a local investor is at least five million shillings or the equivalent in another currency, and the investment and the activity related to the investment are lawful and beneficial to Kenya,” reads the bill in part.
Sally Mahihu, the chairperson of the Kenya Investment Corporation, praised the bill’s potential to promote investment in Kenya during a recent public participation exercise.
Other requirements to get an investment certificate apart from demonstrating possession of the required investment capital, investors must also show how their businesses will contribute to employment creation for Kenyans.
Additional conditions for obtaining the investment certificate include providing evidence of acquiring new skills or technology for Kenyan workers, as well as contributing to tax revenues or other government revenues.
Speaking during the public participation exercise, Sally Mahihu, chairperson of the board of directors at Kenya Investment Corporation, hailed the bill as capable of promoting investment in Kenya and facilitating successful implementation.
Requirements for foreign investors is if the bill stipulates that the minimum investment requirement for foreign investors would be set at $500,000 or its equivalent in any currency, approximately equivalent to KSh 80 million at the current exchange rate.