Press release
NAIROBI, Kenya, October 21, 2020 – Today, U.S. Ambassador Kyle McCarter, together with representatives from the World Bank and American advisory firm MiDA Advisors, launched the Kenya Pension Fund Investment Consortium (KEPFIC). KEPFIC will enable pension schemes to jointly make sustainable long-term infrastructure and alternative asset investments in the region.
The consortium, supported by the U.S. Government through USAID’s Kenya Investment Mechanism, Power Africa, the World Bank Group, and MiDA Advisors (in partnership with USAID INVEST), provides an opportunity for beneficial collaboration between Kenyan and American pension funds and other institutional investors.
“The United States Government is pleased to support a Kenyan institution that presents an innovative approach to infrastructure investment in Kenya as it follows recent changes to the Retirement Benefits Authority guidelines allowing pension funds in Kenya to invest up to 10% of their assets into infrastructure, potentially unlocking over KES 100 billion ($917 million),” said U.S Ambassador Kyle McCarter.
“Launching KEPFIC is a huge milestone, not just for pension schemes, but also for the country,” said Sundeep Raichura, KEPFIC Board Chairperson. “With national and county governments facing a growing budget deficit and competing needs, pension funds through KEPFIC will be well positioned to help bridge the infrastructure funding gap.”
Kenya’s annual infrastructure funding gap currently stands at more than KES 200 billion ($1.8 billion) presenting private investors with numerous opportunities in sectors including power, transportation and urban development.
Pension funds are the ideal funding partners for infrastructure projects due to their longer return on investment horizons and significant role in financing infrastructure projects in many countries, including the United States. However, individual pension funds in Kenya frequently lack the capacity to venture into big-ticket infrastructure projects alone. KEPFIC offers a solution to this challenge, by pooling resources from individual funds, KEPFIC intends to mobilize more than KES 25 billion ($229 million) over the next five years for infrastructure investment.
KEPFIC’s membership includes highly regarded pension funds such as the Kenya Revenue Authority Staff Pension Scheme, Safaricom Staff Pension Scheme, KenGen Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme, and Kenya Pipeline Company Retirement Benefits Scheme, and the consortium’s investment pipeline includes opportunities across energy, transport and telecommunication sectors.
For more information please contact:
Kimberly Burns Case
Senior Regional Development Outreach and Communications Advisor
USAID Kenya and East Africa
+254 706 033 203
Source:U.S. Embassy Kenya
