OPINION: Business civics innovations can enhance Kenyan private sector advocacy

Ever since the 2024 protests, the Kenyan private sector seems to have adopted a posture of strategic muteness in public affairs. 

Late last year, at the 8th KEPSA-Speaker’s Roundtable in Mombasa, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula nudged the captains of industry to stop being spectators in law-making.

While urging that parliamentary committees should engage more regularly with businesspeople, he noted that Kenyan stakeholders in commerce seem to have taken to simply observing legislative processes, while their input was missing in debates such as the expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

Yet, despite this critique, the private sector -such as the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) plus the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), among others - have continued participating in technical spaces of influence. 

Such engagements are primarily focused on the Kenya National Assembly’s Departmental Committee for Finance and Planning during consultative processes on the partial divestiture of Safaricom. 

Others focus on related committees like the Departmental Committee for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, or the Budget and Appropriations Committee, among other public finance-related committees.

However, this technical -behind-the-scenes- round table approach does not seem to be wholly effective. 

It is especially the case when one considers that the private sector has not offered extensive in-depth thought leadership in the face of various shifts or shocks within the public sphere. 

This may be due to an abundance of caution in considering the negative ramifications or costly inconveniences that may burden businessmen and women within the current climate of political seesawing as Kenya heads to the 2027 elections. 

Nevertheless, this is costing the private sector its constructive mandate in contributing to transformative policymaking.

For instance, research by the East African Tax and Governance Network (EATGN) on Television Coverage of Public Finances in Kenya shows that in comparison to even faith-based organisations, the private sector had less visibility in September 2024-September 2025 on tax matters. 

This runs contrary to the productive proximity, placing them right at the heart of debates concerning revenue collection matters.

Meanwhile, an awkwardness prevails that is resulting in further private sector retreat from impactful advocacy. 

This emerges from businesses accusing parliamentarians of extortion during implementation of desired policy, while legislators counter these claims with their own accusations of constantly being harassed, through bribery, to skew policy towards favoured positions.

This context essentially clogs up processes on regulation, taxation, consumer protection, and economic growth. 

It further frustrates licensing, setting of quality standards, training opportunities, plus infrastructure development based on an impasse whose genesis is a lack of trust due to short term considerations of the here and now.

Consequently, to address these issues, leading business associations can restructure their advocacy efforts through business civics innovations to improve outcomes that speak to existing challenges while addressing emerging concerns. 

This will enhance relationships among various stakeholders by implementing scenarios methodology within policy research plus regulatory advocacy.

Also, it will make the private sector highly agile and responsive because they will be able to engage in emerging innovation spaces using systemic analysis plus policy review for decision-making improvements. 

This will come in extremely handy in making the necessary considerations for how to adapt towards emerging technologies and their accompanying ecosystems plus real-world economics.

Business advocacy groups should, therefore, begin thinking about how to innovatively engage with transformative leadership frameworks, such as emerging Parliamentary Committees on the Future, that make plans beyond short-term political cycles. 

These kinds of structures offer solutions for implementation way ahead of time, especially considering the digital world to come.

Adopting foresight planning and productive futures working groups within sector boards, strategic clusters, or program activities can begin to infuse aspects of anticipatory governance, emergent technology, sustainable policymaking, plus knowledge sharing within stakeholder cooperation. 

This is needed in the face of artificial intelligence that powers new digital ecosystems.

Ultimately, this will allow the evolution of Kenyan business civics to begin constructive engagement on issues regarding algorithmic management, data governance, computational resources, tech policing, demonstrable safety and research limits, in the coming modern age of superintelligence.

The author is the Regional Coordinator for the East African tax and Governance Network (EATGN). Follow on X @lennwanyama.