Macharia Kamau

Kiambu

Writer at The Standard (Kenya)

Writer, Standard

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Articles

Why IMF, World Bank hand in Kenya budget faces pushback

5 days ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau |Esther Dianah

Among the many placards on display in the streets of Nairobi last June when Kenyans protested against the Finance Bill, 2024 were a few unpalatable ones targeted at the international Monetary Fund (IMF). It was an indication of the citizens’ anger towards the measures proposed by the IMF in 2021 and were now being cascaded down to Kenyans over time, and particularly the global lender’s hand in crafting of last year’s Finance Bill that tried to raise the cost of many items, including essentials.
TransCentury swings back to profitability after a decade

1 week ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau

TransCentury PLC Chairman, Shaka Kariuki (middle), CEO, Ng'ang'a Njiinu (left) and Company Secretary, Virginia Ndunge (right) during TransCentury's 26th Annual General Meeting held at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. [Courtesy]Kibaki-era infrastructure firm TransCentury has emerged from loss-making and reported a Sh580 million profit after tax in the year to December 2024, from a loss of Sh3.2 billion in 2023.
World Bank proposes radical tax changes targeting salaried Kenyans

1 week ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau

President William Ruto at State House Nairobi where he assented to the Supplementary Appropriations Bill. [PCS]Many salaried Kenyans could see the amount of taxes they pay significantly go up if the government adopts proposals made by the World Bank. In the proposals—which the World Bank said could make personal income tax in Kenya equitable and yield a lower tax burden for low income earners—high-income earners will pay 38 per cent of their salaries as Pay As You Earn (Paye) tax.
Michael Joseph's chequered KQ legacy as he heads for exit

2 weeks ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau

Outgoing Kenya Airways Chairman Michael Joseph at the airline's past investors briefing in Nairobi. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Nairobi]After nearly a decade as the chairman of Kenya Airways (KQ), Michael Joseph is set to retire from the national carrier’s board of directors next month, ending a career marked by many highs but also numerous lows.
Social media rants won't grow economy, Industry PS fires back

2 weeks ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau

Energy PS Juma Mukhwana and Kenya Bureau of Standards MD Esther Ngari during the World Metrology Day in Nairobi on May 20,2025. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]You might rant all you want online about the state of the Kenyan economy, but as long as you are not buying locally made products, your views will not amount to much.
Data tops Safaricom Ethiopia earnings as unit eyes profit

2 weeks ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau

Woman from Borana tribe using a mobile phone, in a village in Southern Ethiopia, Africa. [Courtesy/GettyImages]Safaricom’s earnings in Ethiopia were largely driven by mobile data last year, whose revenues accounted for more than 50 per cent of the total revenue that the company got in the country. This is a complete departure from its Kenyan unit, where mobile money accounts for nearly half of the revenues, having taken over from voice and text messages that were its mainstay in the early days.
Why Narok airport is not a key pick for aviation sector players

2 weeks ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau

Tourists waiting to board the fixed-wing aircraft at Angama airstrip in Masai Mara. The Airstrip is set to be upgraded into an airport. [Robert Kiplagat, Standard]Early this month, the government announced major plans to start construction of an international airport in Narok County, a move it said would further unlock the tourism circuit in the region, whose key attraction is the world famous Maasai Mara.
New PPPs model opens door for local firms after Adani deals flop

3 weeks ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau

Modernisation of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was one of the projects to be undertaken by the disgraced Adani Group. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]Kenyan firms are angling to invest in the country’s key mega infrastructure projects, including the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), months after the cancellation of lucrative deals to the Indian conglomerate Adani Group.
Local financiers to get bigger pie of PPPs in new proposal

3 weeks ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau

Commercial banks, insurance firms, and other financial services sector players are eyeing financing about a third of Kenya’s development expenditure through public-private partnerships (PPPs). This is as the government pursues increased private sector participation in infrastructure development to bridge the financing gap experienced as tax revenue continues to post sluggish growth and the wiggle room for more public debt shrinks.
CMA approves Standard Group's Sh1.5b rights issue

3 weeks ago | standardmedia.co.ke | Macharia Kamau

Standard Group Limited Mombasa Road. [Photo/Jacob Otieno]The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has given the Standard Group PLC the go-ahead to raise Sh1.5 billion from shareholders through a rights issue. The company, the oldest and one of the leading media houses in the region, said the funds would be used to strengthen its balance sheet so that it could take advantage of emerging digital growth opportunities as part of an ongoing re-organisation.