Locus Founder Jean-Paul Gauthier with Kenyan Members of Parliament and other government officials at a retreat in Mombasa to discuss the new SEZ Bill from April 9-11, 2015. Image courtesy of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance.
Under multiple assignments for the World Bank since 2011, Locus Economica has been working closely with the Kenyan Ministry of Industrialisation and Enterprise Development and with Parliament to help negotiate the drafting of a new special economic zones law (UPDATED: now passed by the Kenyan Government) and implementing regulations. The law and regulations represent a critical departure from Kenya's previous export processing zones (EPZ) law, bringing the country much more in line with international lessons in zone programs learned over past several decades.
Alongside local council, the Kenyan legislative drafting committee, the Attorney General's office, and other stakeholders, we are helping ensure international best practices are adapted to Kenya's existing legal, political, and economic contexts. We have also visited and reviewed potential flagship locations for implanting a new special economic zone in Kenya and recommended a specific location at the seaport of Mombasa.
Jean-Paul Gauthier with the Kenyan Ministerial Working Group on the Supplemental Regulations and Dr. Gokhan Akinci of the World Bank
Locus has assisted the Kenyan government all along the way, including by leading workshops at parliamentary retreats on the proposed bill and regulations, building consensus from industry groups and other stakeholders, and eventually seeing the bill and regulations become fully adopted. We continue working closely with lawmakers on the subsidiary procedures, as well as on site selection for new zones.
Read EY's Global Tax Alert review of the 2015 SEZ Act we helped draft.
One particularly exciting Kenyan SEZ we helped develop is the Konza Tech City.