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Group seeks stronger copyright protection in Nigeria

The Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG) has called for stronger protection of intellectual property rights to promote creativity, innovation and sustainable growth of Nigeria’s creative economy.

The call was made at a South-East zonal advocacy and sensitisation programme on copyright protection and the responsible use of intellectual works held on Thursday at Amadeo Recreation Centre, Enugu.

Speaking at the event, Uchenna Cyril Anioke, Chairman of the Programme Planning Committee, highlighted REPRONIG’s role in protecting authors and publishers against the unauthorised reproduction and secondary use of printed and digital materials.

He explained that the organisation collects royalties on behalf of authors and publishers and distributes the proceeds to rightful copyright owners, ensuring that creators receive financial benefits from their intellectual works.

Anioke urged participants to deepen their understanding of the Copyright Act 2022 and collaborate with REPRONIG to safeguard their intellectual property rights.

He also encouraged them to disseminate the knowledge acquired at the programme to their institutions, professional associations, departments and publishing houses to promote wider awareness of copyright protection.

He stressed the need for collective action to build an academic and creative environment where intellectual property is respected, protected and appropriately rewarded, particularly in the South-East and Nigeria at large.

Anioke commended the resource persons, including Macfoy Akachukwu, Sam Owokoniran, Sunny Udeze and Mary Oyesola Adewumi, a REPRONIG administrative officer, as well as members of the planning committee and participants who attended physically and virtually.

The programme attracted librarians, publishers, academics and representatives of corporate organisations from Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra and Imo states.

Also speaking, Sunny Udeze of the Department of Mass Communication, Enugu State University, explained the role of academia in REPRONIG’s activities and called on academics and other stakeholders to register with the organisation.

Udeze emphasised the importance of institutional participation in promoting respect for copyright laws and ensuring that authors and researchers benefit from the use of their intellectual contributions.

In his remarks, Owokoniran, who described Udeze as intellectually sophisticated, said the programme was designed to sensitise stakeholders to opportunities provided by the government and REPRONIG for the protection and responsible use of intellectual property.

He commended the organisers for the programme, noting that REPRONIG had been conducting advocacy activities across the country.

‘We have been doing advocacy around the country, but I tell you, this is the largest media crew I’ve ever seen,’ he said.

Owokoniran explained that the programme sought to improve understanding of Nigerian copyright law and promote the responsible use of intellectual works, particularly within the South-East’s academic and professional communities.

He noted that copyright protection was relevant to universities, lecturers, researchers, students, authors, polytechnics, colleges of education and other knowledge-driven institutions across the country.

He condemned the practice of individuals reproducing and profiting from books and other intellectual works without the permission of their creators, describing such activities as unfair to those who invest their time, resources and expertise in producing original materials.

According to him, the objective of copyright protection was not to discourage education or restrict access to knowledge, but to establish a sustainable balance between access to information and fair compensation for intellectual work.

The programme was therefore aimed at encouraging stakeholders to understand their rights and responsibilities under Nigerian copyright law while fostering a culture that recognises and rewards creativity, research and innovation.

NDC to inaugurate campaign council, unveil new Abuja secretariat Monday

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) will on Monday, October 26, inaugurate its National Campaign Council, present Certificates of Return to its candidates and commission a newly acquired national secretariat in Abuja.

The party disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, Esq., outlining a three-part programme of activities scheduled to hold across the Federal Capital Territory.

The day’s activities will begin with a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) at 10 am at the JD Vance Centre, opposite A-Class Park, Kashim Ibrahim Way, Maitama, Abuja.

The party said attendance at the meeting would be strictly by invitation and limited to NEC members.

At 2 pm, the NDC will commission its newly acquired national secretariat in Jabi, Abuja, before proceeding to the inauguration of its National Campaign Council (NCC) at 5 pm.

The campaign council’s inauguration will be followed by the presentation of Certificates of Return to the party’s candidates and a dinner.

According to the statement, attendance at the NCC inauguration will be restricted to members of the National Working Committee (NWC), the party’s presidential candidate and running mate, governorship candidates and National Assembly candidates.

The packed schedule places the party’s executive meeting, secretariat commissioning and campaign council inauguration on the same day, bringing its leadership and candidates together for a series of activities in the capital.

The statement reaffirmed the party’s appreciation for the support and loyalty of its members nationwide, restating its slogan, ‘Together, we can make a New Nigeria Possible.’

Free trade pact with European Union shaping up for end of year

Thailand and the European Union could conclude a free trade agreement (FTA) by the end of this year, says Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow.

He was speaking as he concluded his official visits to Italy, Spain and Portugal from Oct 18-23.

In Portugal, Mr Sihasak met Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel and signed an agreement waiving visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and official passports to facilitate travel and strengthen bilateral relations.

Mr Sihasak said Portuguese officials were impressed by the capabilities of Thai companies, which have established a global presence in industries including food and energy.

Portugal has strong capabilities in clean energy, an area of growing importance for Thailand as it develops new industries, including data centres.

Mr Sihasak also said the purpose of his European tour was to highlight the importance of Thailand’s role in Asean, an organisation that promotes regional peace and economic integration.

The discussion went beyond bilateral ties, focusing on forging new opportunities with Europe, he said.

He said Thailand and several European countries shared common views on changes to the global order and ways to strengthen economic connectivity between the EU and Asean, with Thailand specifically seeking support among EU nations to push for the FTA negotiations which are nearing conclusions.

With “political momentum”, a deal can be reached before the end of the year.

Sarun Charoensuwan, vice minister for foreign affairs, said Thailand is working with the EU to finalise the Thailand-EU FTA and that facilitation of Schengen visas for Thai passport holders would help boost trade and tourism.

He was speaking during the recent Hungarian National Day Reception in Bangkok.

Szilvia Szalóki, the Hungarian ambassador to Thailand, said Thailand and Hungary shared ties that can be traced back to 1956, the year of the Hungarian Revolution in which Thailand expressed diplomatic and humanitarian support at the UN.

“For us Hungarians, this is not simply a historical fact; it is a memory we carry with gratitude.

“Imagine what it means to stand alone in a difficult moment and then discover that someone far beyond your own borders has heard your voice and believes that your freedom matters. This is what solidarity means, and this is what friendship means,” she said.

Turkic States sign charter to strengthen audit cooperation

The charter of the Union of Supreme Audit Institutions of Turkic States was signed in Antalya on October 24.

According to Turkish media reports, representatives from Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan expressed their support for the document, which establishes the legal framework for the organization’s activities.

Speaking at the meeting, the current chair of the Union and head of the Turkish Court of Accounts, Metin Yener, recalled that the declaration on the establishment of the Union of Supreme Audit Institutions of Turkic States was signed in Istanbul on November 22, 2025.

He expressed confidence that the new structure would facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience among Turkic states.

“The charter is not merely a legal document, but a declaration of a shared vision for the future. It will enable us to harmonize common auditing standards, share best practices, and strengthen the principles of transparency and accountability. Ultimately, all of this will have an impact on both the performance of public institutions and people’s quality of life,” Yener said.

Alikhan Smailov, chairman of Kazakhstan’s Supreme Audit Chamber, noted that signing the document marked the beginning of a new era in cooperation among the audit institutions of Turkic countries. He also emphasized that Astana was ready to host the Union’s next meeting in 2029.

Almazbek Akmatov, head of the Accounts Chamber of Kyrgyzstan, and Mehriddin Abdullayev, first deputy chairman of Uzbekistan’s Accounts Chamber, also highlighted the importance of cooperation in auditing.

Nasir Sadigov, deputy chairman of Azerbaijan’s Chamber of Accounts, addressed the participants via videoconference.

Kubanichbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), attended the ceremony.

Remita boss urges outcome-driven approach to digital transformation

De’Remi Atanda, managing director and chief executive officer of Remita Payment Services Limited, has urged businesses and public institutions to rethink digital transformation, saying service excellence should be measured by customer outcomes rather than the sophistication of technology deployed.

He made the call at the 2026 Service Excellence Conference in Lagos, where business executives, regulators and public sector leaders examined how technology and human interaction can improve service delivery.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Tech-Enabled. Human-Powered,’ Atanda highlighted a persistent challenge: organisations invest heavily in digital platforms, automation and new features, yet customers continue to face delays, uncertainty and avoidable difficulties.

He urged service providers to understand customer expectations before deploying technology, warning that automated systems cannot compensate for poorly designed processes or unclear service standards.

‘Technology has been, and will continue to be, a means to an end, not the end itself. Customers are not looking for technology; they are looking for outcomes. Technology cannot deliver service excellence if it is optimising for the wrong expectations. The journey begins with how we understand what customers want, which ultimately comes down to less effort and greater certainty,’ he said.

During a panel discussion, Atanda explained that speed alone does not guarantee effective service. Customers may complete transactions quickly, but remain dissatisfied if processes are confusing or services fail when needed most. Digitising poorly designed processes, he warned, merely transfers their shortcomings to digital platforms.

‘Speed is just one attribute of service delivery. Fast service is not always pleasant, nor does it always meet customer expectations. To deliver true service excellence, you must combine speed with smart solutions and human connection. That is what builds consistency and trust,’ he said.

Atanda also stressed the importance of preserving human interaction in digital services, noting that technology should not come at the expense of empathy, responsiveness or accountability when problems arise.

He said maintaining the human element does not require a return to manual processes. Instead, organisations must ensure customers feel understood and receive appropriate support when interacting with a brand.

‘When we speak of human connection in technology, ‘human’ does not mean manual processes. It is about the emotional component of service delivery and how people relate to your brand. As we deploy technology as an invisible layer, we must ensure that it does not remove the human touch, because technology that remembers is technology that feels human,’ he added.

On accountability in financial services, Atanda noted that transactions often depend on multiple networks, service providers and intermediaries. However, he maintained that the brand dealing directly with customers must remain accountable for its promises.

He urged business leaders and policymakers to enforce service standards and ensure failures have consequences.

‘You don’t prepare for war in the time of war; you prepare for war in the time of peace. Service providers must design for failure as seriously as they design for success. In a complex financial ecosystem, reliability is shared across multiple partners, but accountability is never shared. It is entirely yours to deliver on your promise to the customer,’ he emphasised.

Atanda outlined five priorities for business leaders: understand customer expectations before selecting technology, map the entire customer journey, embed empathy and responsiveness in service processes, prepare for failures and measure performance through customer experiences rather than system uptime alone.

The conference, held during the 2026 Customer Service Week, reinforced the need to measure digital investments by the value they deliver to customers.

President Ilham Aliyev sends congratulatory letter to President of Kazakhstan

President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The letter reads as follows:

Dear Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I sincerely congratulate you and, through you, the people of your brotherly country on the national holiday of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic Day, and convey my best wishes.

Today, as a result of the deliberate policy pursued under your leadership, the Republic of Kazakhstan has achieved comprehensive development, made progress in all spheres, strengthened its economic potential, and gained considerable prestige on the international stage. As a brotherly country, we sincerely rejoice in Kazakhstan’s year-after-year progress and its continued achievements.

Our regular mutual visits, meetings, and active dialogue at the highest level play an important role in accelerating the development of our bilateral relations, strengthening our strategic partnership and alliance, and enriching them with new content. I highly appreciate your recent visit to Azerbaijan to participate in the 7th CICA Summit.

I am confident that Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan intergovernmental relations, drawing strength from our rich moral values and the brotherhood of our peoples, will continue to develop steadily and grow stronger through our joint efforts.

On this festive day, I wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your responsible state activities, and the brotherly people of Kazakhstan lasting peace, well-being, and prosperity.

State Police crosses first hurdle: 24 states approve, what next?

History has been made. For the first time since the return to democracy in 1999, the push for state police has crossed the most difficult constitutional hurdle.

As at today, 24 out of 36 State Houses of Assembly have passed the resolution approving the establishment of state police in Nigeria, meeting the mandatory two-thirds requirement under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Section 9(2) provides that a bill to alter the Constitution shall not be passed by National Assembly unless the proposal is supported by resolution of at least two-thirds of all State Houses of Assembly – that is, 24 states.

In pursuant to that requirement, the National Assembly, having endorsed state police, transmitted the 1999 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, seeking their concurrence.

Today, the numbers stand thus:

Southern Nigeria: 14 of 17 states have approved the bill leaving only Lagos, Ondo and Ebonyi still at deliberation stage. In Northern Nigeria, 10 out of 19 states have approved the bill. Nine states are still pending: Kogi, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano and Sokoto. Five of them are in North-West, two in North-Central and three in North-East.

The implication is clear: even though 12 states are still awaited, the bill stands approved in the eyes of the law. Of course, more states are expected to join this week, the more, the merrier, but the legal threshold has been met.

Crossing 24 states is not the end. It is the beginning of stage two. Under Section 9, here is what must happen next: Return to National Assembly for Collation and Authentication. All 36 resolutions, whether Yes or No, must be transmitted back to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana. The Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, will collate and verify that at least 24 approvals are authentic, signed by Speakers and Clerks.

Secondly, there must be votes, proceedings and passage at NASS. Once satisfied, NASS will adopt a resolution confirming that the bill has been duly approved by required number of states. The bill will then be re-passed with final amendments reflecting state inputs. And thirdly, the authenticated Bill will be transmitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent. Under Section 9(3), the President has 30 days to assent. Once assented, it becomes Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Sixth Alteration) Act, 2026.

The next stage is the Enabling Law, State Policing Act: This is the most important part many miss. The Constitutional alteration only creates the legal space for state police. It does not create the police itself. What will create it is a second law, the National Policing Act/State Police Services Act, currently being worked on by the Presidency. The Presidency said last week that the draft is 90percent ready and will be sent to NASS before October 29.

That Act will spell out: Recruitment, training and minimum standards; Funding formula, federal support grant vs state funding; Command and control, who is Commissioner? Who appoints? Oversight, State Police Service Commission, State Police Complaints Board, Jurisdiction, what offences belong to federal vs state; Election security, role of INEC and federal police during elections; and State-Level Domestication: Each state that wants state police must then pass its own State Police Law establishing its State Police Service, Service Commission, funding, and community policing committees at LGA level. In short, Constitutional Amendment opens the door, National Act defines the rules, State Law builds the house.

Why State Police matters

Nigeria’s security challenge has exposed the limits of a centralised police force of about 370,000 men policing over 230 million people across 774 LGAs.

The benefits of state police include:

Faster Response Times: Local police can react quicker to crimes and emergencies than a heavily centralized federal command sitting in Abuja; Better Local Intelligence: Officers recruited from local areas understand environment, language, culture and networks needed to track down criminals. A policeman from Sokoto understands Sokoto better than one posted from Bayelsa; Tailored Security Approaches: Banditry in North-West, farmer-herder clashes in North-Central, IPOB/ESN in South-East, cultism and urban robbery in South-South and South-West, a one-size-fits-all national strategy is ineffective.

Other benefits include Manpower Relief: The federal NPF faces severe personnel deficit. State police will provide extra hands, allowing federal police to focus on terrorism, border control and interstate organized crime; Success of Regional Initiatives: The perceived effectiveness of Amotekun in South-West and Ebube Agu in parts of South-East proved sub-national policing can work.

Why 12 states still dilly-dallying

If benefits are so clear, why are 12 states still foot-dragging? Well, some say they Fear Political Patronage and Abuse. Nonetheless, critics warn governors could use local police as private armies against opposition, especially during elections. Since 1999, many governors control House of Assembly, SIEC, and local government chairmen. Adding police completes state capture.

Ethnic or Religious Bias: Analysts caution state-controlled forces might be weaponised to promote ethnic dominance, religious favouritism, or protection of local elites, especially in diverse states like Plateau, Kaduna, Taraba; Funding and Resource Constraints: Many states struggle with revenue and can hardly pay salaries. How will they pay, arm, train, equip, provide pension for another thousands of officers? Will we have first-class police in Lagos, Rivers, and third-class in Kogi, Borno?

There is also the issue of lack of Standardisation: Inconsistent training, varying equipment, non-uniform operational protocols could weaken national security standards; while there is also issue of Jurisdictional Conflicts: Dual-policing risks friction, confusion and power struggles between federal and state officers, who arrests who? Who takes custody of high-profile suspects?

These are valid fears. But as some sections of the polity have noted, they are reasons to interrogate details carefully, not reasons to kill the bill. The answer is strong oversight, independent Service Commission, federal minimum standards, and clear constitutional ban on using state police for election intimidation.

With 24 states secured, the politics now shifts to Aso Rock and National Assembly. President Tinubu, a long-time advocate of state police since his days as Lagos governor, is expected to assent quickly to cement a major legacy.

But the real battle will be over the Enabling Act: How much power should governors have? Should state police commissioners be appointed by governor or by independent commission? Should President have power to deploy state police during national emergency?

Those questions will determine whether state police becomes instrument of security or instrument of oppression.

For now, one battle is won. The Constitution has said Yes. Now Nigerians must ensure the law that follows says Yes to accountability.

AI agents open new security front for Kenyan businesses

Kenyan businesses are moving from using artificial intelligence (AI) for simple tasks like answering customer questions to deploying systems that can execute tasks on their behalf, and experts point to an emerging cybersecurity challenge – how to protect the digital identities and privileges granted to these AI agents.

Conventional chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude mainly generate responses. But AI agents can be connected to company applications, databases and internal systems to perform tasks with limited human intervention.

This makes them useful for automating business processes, but also creates another potential entry point for cybercriminals if their access is compromised or poorly controlled.

For Kenyan businesses adopting AI to streamline operations, an agent with extensive permissions could expose sensitive information or allow an attacker to move deeper into corporate systems if its identity is hijacked.

‘AI agents are what we call privileged users in your environment,’ Robert Ng’etich, the team lead for threat intelligence in East Africa at the global IT services firm NTT Data, told the Business Daily.

‘For such users, one of the biggest risks they present is that if their identities are compromised, they can lead to a broader business compromise.’

The risk reflects a wider shift in cybersecurity, where attackers increasingly exploit existing identities and login credentials rather than relying only on technical vulnerabilities to break into systems.

Using legitimate credentials can help hackers disguise their actions as routine user activity, making it harder for organisations to identify an intrusion.

Because AI agents gain access to business applications and data, cyber experts say companies will need to extend identity protection and access controls to these non-human users, just as they do for employees and other privileged accounts.

This includes ensuring that agents have access only to the information and systems needed for their assigned tasks, monitoring their activity and protecting the credentials that allow them to operate. An agent that can access several business systems may become an attractive target if its permissions are not carefully managed.

The threat is emerging as cybercriminals increasingly harness AI to improve the speed, scale and credibility of their attacks.

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) detected 11.1 billion cyber-threat incidents in the year to June 2026, a 29 percent increase from 8.6 billion a year earlier.

Distributed denial-of-service attacks, where hackers flood websites, servers and networks with huge volumes of malicious traffic to make them inaccessible, rose 114.3 percent to 72.16 million in the year ended June 2026, up from 33.68 million a year earlier.

This was the highest growth among the cyber threats tracked by the regulator, highlighting the growing exposure of businesses and public systems as more services move online.

Web application attacks targeting flaws, poor coding, or security gaps in websites, web services, and application programme interfaces increased 99 percent to 51.51 million, from 25.89 million in the previous year.

Cyber experts say attackers are using AI to generate more convincing phishing messages, translate scams into local languages such as Swahili, and create deepfake voices and videos that imitate real people.

These techniques can be used to trick employees into disclosing information, authorising payments or carrying out instructions they believe came from a colleague or senior executive.

‘Before, it used to take a lot of time for attackers to find ways to exploit systems. But now, with the help of AI, what would have taken maybe three weeks to one month is now taking hours,’ said Mr Ng’etich.

‘We are seeing a lot more attacks on websites and other systems because attackers are using AI to enhance their vulnerability research, increasing the speed with which they are finding loopholes.’

Still, the same technology is being adopted by cybersecurity teams to strengthen their defences, setting up a contest in which both sides are seeking to improve their speed and effectiveness.

Security operations centres (SOCs), which monitor networks and investigate suspicious activity, are using AI to analyse and correlate far more signals than human analysts could reasonably examine manually.

Events such as a user login, access to a file and other seemingly minor activities can be assessed together to reveal patterns that might indicate a wider attack.

Mr Ng’etich says AI can help security teams examine hundreds of data points and connect events that, viewed individually, may appear insignificant.

‘We can also do summaries using AI, report on incidents using AI, whether to technical or executive teams in a business,’ he said.

‘The SOC is also able to use AI for vulnerability search too, the same way as attackers. And because of that, they can arrest, or they can address vulnerabilities at a much faster pace.’

Security practitioners are also deploying AI agents to handle repetitive work, including case summaries, event correlation, prioritisation and certain standardised responses, such as blocking elements associated with an attack.

The aim, he says, is not to replace human analysts but to help them respond more quickly and concentrate on decisions that require judgement. It increases the volume of security events they investigate and shortens the time between detecting a threat and taking action.

The hidden risks and lost value in Kenya’s discarded office computers

As Kenyan businesses replace ageing computers, servers and printers, millions of shillings in reusable equipment and sensitive corporate data risk being lost when retired devices leave offices without proper checks.

The problem extends beyond electronic waste as a discarded laptop can still hold customer records, employee information and financial documents, while a computer sold cheaply at auction may retain significant resale value.

Olivier Vanden, founder of technology reuse organisation Close the Gap, says businesses often treat old equipment as a disposal problem instead of an asset that requires secure handling, valuation and a documented second life. ‘Every device, every brand, has a market value after its useful life,’ he says.

‘For a country like Kenya, we are looking at hundreds of billions of shillings wasted each year, which is not optimised and where there is enormous potential for financial value for companies.’

The scale of the losses is difficult to establish as Kenya lacks reliable public figures separating discarded office computers, servers and printers from the wider stream of electronic waste.

The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 estimates Kenya generated 88,000 tonnes of electronic waste in 2022, but its database records no formally collected quantity for that year, exposing a gap in the data needed to track how much equipment is reused, recycled, stored or dumped.

Globally, electronic waste reached 62 million tonnes in 2022, while only 22.3 percent was documented as formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner, according to the United Nations (UN)-backed report.

For Kenyan businesses, the lack of clear disposal records makes it harder to measure the value tied up in old equipment or establish whether devices containing sensitive information are being handled securely.

Vanden estimates that only a minority of corporate devices pass through formal asset-disposal processes, with many instead transferred to employees, donated to schools or kept in storage.

While these transfers can extend a device’s useful life, the techie argues, they can only do so if the company first removes its data, checks the equipment’s condition and records who takes responsibility for it.

Kenya’s Data Protection Act requires organisations handling personal information to put appropriate technical and organisational safeguards in place, including measures to protect data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse.

The law also requires a data controller to notify the Data Commissioner within 72 hours of becoming aware of a personal-data breach where unauthorised access creates a real risk of harm to affected people.

A laptop leaving an office without its data being securely erased can, therefore, create a risk that extends beyond the device’s resale value, potentially exposing customer records, employee details or business documents.

According to Vanden, simply deleting files or resetting a computer may not provide sufficient assurance that information cannot be recovered, making verified data wiping or physical destruction of storage media important before equipment changes hands.

He says the documentation gives companies a record of which devices were processed and what happened to them, rather than leaving them dependent on a buyer’s or auctioneer’s assurance.

The same asset-by-asset record can help businesses establish whether a computer is suitable for reuse, needs repair, or should be dismantled for materials recovery instead of being resold.

Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (Nema) says its e-waste guidance covers collection, sorting, recycling and disposal, while the Sustainable Waste Management Act places obligations on producers across a product’s life cycle.

The government also launched national e-waste guidelines in 2025, setting out roles for producers, consumers, recyclers and public agencies as it seeks to improve collection and environmentally sound disposal.

The framework is designed to move electronics away from uncontrolled disposal, while the ICT Authority’s National Refurbishment, Reuse, Assemble and E-waste Management programme aims to expand collection, refurbishment and processing capacity.

Kenya passes up to 62pc of higher international fuel prices to consumers

Kenya passed on up to 62 percent of changes in international fuel prices to consumers between February and September this year, revealing higher protections to households and businesses using subsidies and tax cuts when compared to peers like Tanzania and Rwanda.

A new analysis of fuel price adjustments by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows that Kenya passed through 52 percent of the changes to landed costs of super petrol to the retail pricing for the product while the pass-through for diesel was higher at 62 percent.

In contrast, Rwanda’s pass-through was recorded at 125 percent for petrol and 111 percent for diesel, while Tanzania had a 67 percent pass-through for petrol prices and 65 percent for diesel, suggesting the former more than matched the changes in the landed cost of fuel in the same period while Tanzania inserted fewer protections than Kenya.

Ethiopia however only passed through 38 percent of landed super petrol costs and 44 percent for diesel, suggesting the country had higher safeguards to protect consumers from costlier fuel.

The analysis by the multilateral lender assesses fuel price adjustments as a percent of the benchmark US-dollar-per-litre-increase for refined-products.

The IMF findings also suggest that Kenya provided greater protections to consumers of super petrol over diesel, despite the latter having greater uses in the economy, across sectors like logistics, agriculture, and electricity generation.

Kenya has deployed a combination of the fuel stabilisation fund, and the reduction of the value added tax (VAT) on petroleum products from 16 percent to eight percent to contain the runaway retail fuel prices.

The stabilisation fund is financed by the petroleum development levy (PDL) which is charged at Sh5.40 for every litre of petrol or diesel sold and Sh0.40 for kerosene.

An analysis of data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) reveals the lower pass through of landed petrol and diesel costs to consumers, mirroring IMF findings.

The landed cost of petrol and diesel cargoes between January and July rose by 64.6 percent and 36.5 percent respectively, but retail prices in the capital Nairobi rose at a lower 20 and 30.8 percent.

The landed cost of petrol and diesel from January cargoes stood at $576.34 (Sh74,815) per cubic metre and $626.75 (Sh81,358) but rose to $948.92 (Sh123,179) and $855.59 (Sh111,064) in July.

Retail costs for petrol and diesel rose from Sh178.28 per litre and Sh166.54 in the February 15-March 14, 2026, cycle to Sh214.03 and Sh217.86 respectively in the August 15 to September 14,2026 cycle.

Kenya’s fuel prices are anchored on a T+1 import cycle where cargoes ordered in the first month reach the market at the start of month three, implying a lag to changes in current international oil prices.

VAT on both super petrol and diesel was charged at 16 percent in the February/March cycle, while no stabilisation (subsidy) was applied on either product as the Epra review for the period came just before the onset of the US, Israel war on Iran.

The halving of VAT to eight percent was in place during the August/September cycle while a subsidy of Sh8.64 was applied on super petrol.

Diesel consumers paid Sh19.28 more to cross-subside the super petrol prices.

In its review of pump prices for the new October 15 to November 14 cycle last week, Epra did not apply a subsidy on either petrol or diesel, suggesting the depletion of the stabilisation fund, but the VAT cushion remained in place.

Because of the depletion of the stabilisation fund, fuel prices jumped with super petrol costs settling at Sh226.96 in Nairobi while diesel topped Sh227.76 per litre reflecting a lift of Sh12.93 and Sh9.90 per litre.

The IMF has criticised the lack of targeted support to relieve consumers from high fuel prices, arguing that most protections by the 21- countries, analysed in the assessment, have had blanket coverage, benefitting better-off households instead of cushioning the most vulnerable.

IMF argues that more targeted relief measures would impact the most vulnerable consumers while causing less fiscal strain on governments.

‘Rwanda combined substantial price adjustment with monetary tightening and targeted support, while Ethiopia differentiated temporary fuel subsidies by product and customer to contain costs,’ IMF said.

‘Most announced fiscal measures were designed to be temporary, but only one in seven was classified as targeted. Generalised price relief is poorly targeted because better-off households typically receive a lion’s share of benefits.’

IMF says the fiscal cost of the relief measures can displace social spending, which protects vulnerable groups more effectively while funding gaps can result in losses for fuel importers and State-owned utilities, leading to arrears, shortages or rationing.

Last week, the National Assembly voted to extend the reduction of the VAT rate on petroleum products for a further three months, a move expected to deny the exchequer an estimated Sh27 billion.

The government has been losing about Sh9 billion per month from the intervention, first put in place on April 14, 2026, suggesting that the exchequer has already lost about Sh54 billion in revenues so far.

In nine months, the National Treasury stands to lose Sh81 billion in revenues or an estimated 0.45 percent of GDP.

IMF has called for transparency into relief measures aimed at containing runaway fuel prices, arguing that more targeted interventions would be less costly to governments.

The fund’s analysis of intervention measures in 19 countries showed that generalised fuel-price smoothing measures cost up to four percent of GDP while transfers containing the benefit to the poorest 40 percent of the population would cost just 0.5 percent of countries GDPs.

‘Temporary fuel price smoothing, tax relief, and subsidies should be transparently budgeted, capped and time-bound, with credible exit plans. Losses must not accumulate off budget in importers, utilities, or transport companies,’ IMF added.