BJ50 Wins In New KRA Policies On Locally Made Vehicles
Mass production of a Laikipia-made vehicle, BJ50, has entered a critical phase with the planned registration and issuance of number plates of the first six units this week.
The six units of the four-wheeler tuk tuks by the Nyahururu-based Sagak Tech Enterprises Ltd have been undergoing tests and inspections by Chief Mechanical Engineer for the last six months.
They passed the CMTE inspection standard and approval by KEBS allowing their use on public roads.
These details emerged after a high-powered inter-agency virtual meeting co-chaired by Principal Secretary State Department for Infrastructure Prof. Paul Maringa and Governor Ndiritu Muriithi on Wednesday to assess the progress of BJ50.
Others involved in the meeting were chief mechanical and transport engineers, Kenya Bureau of Standards, National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), directors of Sagak Tech Enterprises, and officers of the County Government of Laikipia.
Sagak Tech and other vehicle manufacturers are key beneficiaries of new policies by the Kenya Revenue Authority which will facilitate the registration of locally manufactured Automobiles.
This is a big break-through for BJ50 as the policies also cover tuk tuks and other vehicle manufacturers like Mobius which have been in the industry for over 9 years.
Since independence, the systems and structures have focused and supported imports. This has been a major obstacle to the registration of locally manufactured vehicles.
The realization that we have units that have a high component of local works and also imported parts whose duty has already been paid, amounted to double taxation to the manufacturers.
This obstacle has been overcome with the new policies in place. It will encourage other potential manufacturers to venture into the sector.
The Laikipia Innovation and Enterprise Development Programme has played a great role in ensuring this happens by bringing together government agencies together to focus on unlocking systems and procedures that hinder the growth of the nascent local automobile manufacturing industry.
With the new policy now in place, it is expected that the six units will be fully registered and issued with number plates and released to the market, within this week.
In addition, the inter-agency team will be visiting Laikipia on 30th June 2021 to appraise other projects in Laikipia under the Laikipia Innovation and Enterprise Development Programme.
( Published by ICT | Source: CGL E-Newsletter Issue 0055).
