2. We started the week with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers [@KAM_Kenya] saying that there were persistent dollar shortages that gave rise to a parallel exchange rate market.
On Tuesday, the CBK governor @njorogep responded by rubbishing these claims.
5. At least there was good news at the Cooperative Bank [@Coopbankenya] AGM where the CEO indicated that the bank will be paying a higher dividend for this financial year. Yay!
8. This week, KRA [@KRACare] announced it has extended the operating hours of its offices and contact centers ahead of the June 30 deadline for the filing of 2021 income tax returns:
10. This week, the Daily Nation had details of the sad story of how Farah Bashir who lost KES 2.6M to fraudsters in a matter of hours via his Safaricom sim card and Absa Bank App. Stay safe.
12. Traders at the Mombasa Auction were noted to be sidelining the expensive Kenyan tea while opting for cheaper ones from Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi:
The tea is expensive because of the the reserve price of $2.43 (Sh283) per kg set by the government.
16. KCB [@KCBGroup] is keen on recovering its debts.
This week, the bank seized Mombasaโs luxury property English Point Marina & placed Pearl Beach Hotels, the real estate firm that owns it, under statutory management over a KES 5.2B debt.
Starting 5th May 2025, NEMA will begin implementing the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations under the Sustainable Waste Management Act (L.N. 176 of 2024).
1/ A KES 150 levy will be introduced per item of packaging. ๐งต
2/ Whatโs Affected?
The levy applies to nearly everything: plastic, glass, aluminium, paper, cardboard, rubber, leather, textiles, and composite packaging.
Think food wrappers, medicine boxes, cosmetic bottles, even sanitary pad packaging all fall under this.
3/ NEMA says the KES 150 will apply to "standard packaging" but that term isnโt clearly defined.
For example, if Panadol tablets are packed in strips, which come in boxes, the boxes packed into cartons, and the cartons stacked onto pallets - what exactly is considered the chargeable item?
Is it the strips, the box, the carton, or the pallet?
โThe Transmission Master Plan (TMP) projects the need for an additional 9,600 km of transmission lines and a $5.2B investment by 2042 to support industrial growth and electrification.
โKETRACO is exploring Public-Private Partnerships to bridge the funding gap
2. Why PPPs?
โKETRACO projects have historically been financed through loans from development partners like the World Bank, AfDB, JICA, and Exim banks.
โThe next set of funding from these partners is estimated to be available after the financial year 2028/2029.
โTotal Assets: +17.7% to 3.5B
โNet Income: +8.5% to 235M
โPAT: +3.8% to 116M
โDividend rate on deposits: 20%
โInterest rate on member deposits: 11%
2. Magereza DT Sacco:
โTotal Assets: +12.7% to 7.9B
โNet Income: +33.4% to 606M
โPAT: +53.9% to 129M
โDividend rate on share capital: 10%
โInterest rate on member deposits: 6%
10 Key Takeaways from the CBK Post-MPC Briefing by the Governor.
1. CBK is keen on the separation of Safaricom & M-Pesa:
"One of the factors that has been delaying this..is the tax liability which is fairly significant in the order of at least KES 75B & what to do with it"
2. There has been a sharp rise in remittances to Kenya this year:
"If one were to compare the first two months of 2024 (Jan & Feb 2024), we see remittances for those two months compared to the two months in 2023 have increased by more than 20%"
3. There was a slowdown in growth in credit to the private sector in Feb 2024 from 13.8% to 10.3%
"A certain amount of private sector loans is denominated in dollars & therefore, when the exchange rate appreciated the level of credit to the private sector did decline"