Manufacturing remains one of the country's key economic pillars. Newly elected Kenya Association of Manufacturers chairman Hitesh Mediratta/ HANDOUT Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has elected PG Bison Kenya managing director Hitesh Mediratta as its new board chairperson.
This comes as the sector continues to grapple with high production costs, tax pressures and shifting global trade dynamics. Mediratta succeeds East African Breweries Plc (EABL) group managing director Jane Karuku, whose two-year tenure at the helm of the country's largest manufacturing lobby has come to an end.
His appointment comes as manufacturers continue to push for policy reforms to improve Kenya's competitiveness, reduce the cost of doing business and position the country as a regional industrial hub under the government's industrialisation agenda. PG Bison supplies interior decorative building materials to the construction and furniture sector in East Africa.
Speaking after his election, Mediratta said his focus over the next two years will be on strengthening the competitiveness of Kenyan manufacturers, while helping the sector take advantage of changing global supply chains. "While global uncertainties continue to shape trade, supply chains and global investment shifts, they also present an opportunity for Kenya and Africa to strengthen regional value chains, increase local value addition and unlock the full potential of manufacturing as a driver of economic growth and industrialization," he said.
He said KAM would continue advocating for policies that create a level playing field for manufacturers, while addressing longstanding tax and regulatory challenges that have affected investment and expansion. "My priority will be to build on KAM's strong legacy of advocacy by creating a level playing field that enhances the competitiveness of Kenyan manufacturers both locally and globally," Mediratta said.
He pledged to champion equitable value chains that give manufacturers equal opportunities to compete, grow and thrive while pursuing practical, evidence-based solutions to policy and taxation issues.