Kenya is rewriting its 2005 Privatisation Act. Whereas red tape,
litigation and inadequate political capital derailed the
privatisation scheme developed by former president Mwai
Kibaki's 2002-13 administration, President William Ruto hopes
to reboot the scheme with new legislation this year and
implementation in 2024.
Significance: second or third time is the charm
Kibaki ran a fragile unity government where control of
parliament was shared equally with his rival Raila Odinga.
Notwithstanding the privatisation of certain key entities like
Safaricom, the then-president's privatisation programme was
largely abandoned. Neither was it prioritised by his successor,
Uhuru Kenyatta in the recently concluded administration
(2013-2022). Government actors were consequently split over the
need and mode for restructuring the targeted entities. Among them
are the entities in the box adjacent.:
