President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday, November 12 shared a light moment about MPs setting up side businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Uhuru was speaking during his State of the Nation Address in Parliament that was attended by high profile government officials.
The Head of State was addressing the state of the economy as he highlighted an increase in the number of registered businesses, especially during the pandemic.
"The number of companies registered daily has increased by 500% from 30 in 2014 to 200 in 2020 and a daily average of 300 during the Covid-19 period.
"On aggregate 400,000 companies are annually now registered in Kenya, people are setting up businesses, even you (pointing at the MPs present during the State Address)," said Uhuru.
A number of MPs have been named in the now infamous Covid-19 Millionaires scandal that led to the country losing billions through overpriced tenders.
The MPs are reported to have colluded with Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) to win inflated tenders in the acquiring of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Back in August, Uhuru ordered government agencies to expedite investigations into the alleged theft of funds at KEMSA and issued a 30-day ultimatum to make public all tenders.
Kenyans expected the President to talk tough on corruption in his state address but he briefly touched on the contentious issue.
The increase in the number of businesses registered comes despite a number of Kenyans reporting job cuts and losses.
Data from the registrar of companies shows that the number of business names registered between July and September jumped 95% to 29,941 compared to a similar period last year.
The bump in business registration, especially of single-owned businesses and small partnerships has been attributed to survival attempts by people displaced from formal jobs.
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