By Anita Otieno a) Background The Covid-19 pandemic has had its effects on the justice system as other fields in the country. With partial closure of courts in Kenya, it is imperative that other forms of dispute resolution, other than litigation, be considered. Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms have been employed already, to address...
By Moses Ohanga As businesses worldwide navigate the challenges brought on by the rapid spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), it is now more essential than ever that corporations be ready with solutions to address risk issues as they arise. Beyond the obvious health repercussions, the global pandemic has presented major disruptions for global businesses. Some have had...
By Anita Otieno The Finance Bill, 2020 was signed into Law in June to amend a number of laws in Kenya, including the Income Tax Act, the Value Added Tax Act, the Excise Duty Act, the Tax Procedures Act and the Miscellaneous Fees and Levies Act among others. The Bill was recently signed into Law....
By Victor Orandi On 1 July 2020, the judiciary launched an Electronic Filing System referred to as e filing which will enable all Nairobi courts to digitalize all filed suits and applications. Under the new electronic system, all advocates, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Police and the members of the Public...
By Victor Orandi The Ministry for Housing and Urban Development published The National Construction Authority (Defects Liability) Regulations, 2020, in the Kenya Gazette on 20th April 2020. The Regulations apply to commercial buildings only. Commercial buildings are defined as premises occupied wholly or partially for the purposes of trade, business or rendering services for profits....
By Purity Ngigi – Sundays The immigration department suspended operations briefly in March 2020 on account of the COVID – 19 pandemic. However, in May 2020 the immigration department resumed operations with certain restrictive measures in place. One of the restrictions is the requirement for online applications for the renewal of tourist visas without the...
By Matthew Magare, Anita Otieno The Financial Markets Conduct Bill aims to promote a fair, non-discriminatory financial market, conducive for credit access by: Establishing uniform practices and standards for providers of financial products and services; Regulating the cost of credit; and, Establishing the Financial Markets Conduct Authority (the “Authority”), the Financial Sector Ombudsman and the...
By Anita Otieno The Small Claims Act established a subordinate court known as the small claims court to be presided over by an adjudicator, and the pecuniary jurisdiction of the court limited to Ksh. 200,000. The nature of claims addressed by the court include: A contract for sale and supply of goods or services; A...
By Anita Otieno The National Council on the Administration of Justice had earlier suspended the execution of civil decrees and orders as a means of scaling down court activities due to Covid-19. However, the Chief Justice recently gave an order lifting the suspension, directing courts to facilitate parties seeking the extraction, issuance and execution of...
The Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (the “Bill”) was assented to by the President on 25th April 2020, as one of the measures to cushion citizens from the negative economic effects of COVID-19. The Tax Laws (Amendment) Act, 2020 (the “Act”) amends provisions on the following: Income Tax, Value Added Tax, Pay As You Earn...
