Kenya looks to privatise state assets to draw private-sector investments: Ruto

Kenya is planning to privatise some state assets via initial public offerings in order to bring in more private sector investment, President William Ruto said at the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday.

The government plans to start with listing the Kenya Pipeline Company via an IPO on the Nairobi Securities Exchange this year, Ruto said.

"We are committed to a structured, time-sensitive programme that identifies and prepares a robust pipeline of key government assets to be privatised through the stock exchange or improved through private sector participation," he said.

Ruto also said that well-functioning domestic capital markets could reduce reliance on external debt.

Kenya has been seeking new sources of funding since deadly nationwide protests last summer forced it to pursue austerity measures and scrap planned tax hikes worth more than 346-billion Kenyan shillings (R46.77bn).

Separately, at the Africa Debate event later on Wednesday, Ruto said that following shocks such as US President Donald Trump's elimination of USAID this year, Kenya is working to rely on its own resources, and private investments, rather than "resources that we do not have any control over."

He cited plans to partner with the private sector to provide hospital equipment on a fee-per-use basis and said Kenya had raised $1.3bn (R22.86bn) by securitising assets such as roads to raise funding.

"We are now going to be listing some of those bonds in the securities exchange so other investors can have a bite of the cherry," he said.

Reuters