The Kenya Publishers Association(KPA) is urging the government to do away with the 16 percent VAT on textbooks to promote a knowledge economy in the country.

KPA chairperson Kiarie Kamau says that having VAT imposed on textbooks only makes books expensive and unaffordable to ordinary citizens.

“At 16%, this tax (VAT) only serves to make books more expensive, hence unaffordable to the common mwananchi., the ‘hustler’. If I may. We therefore call upon the government to scrap VAT on books, as a way of making knowledge affordable to all, hence promote lifelong learning, amd grow the knowleged economy,” he said.

Further, the Chairperson pointed out that the current high cost of living has led to low purchasing power, hence low uptake of general reading materials.

“Therefore even though publishers are benefitting from the government textbook tenders, sales of general reading materials through bookshops have diminished. A quick check on the market shows that Kenyans are prioritizing food, hence, other items such as books are put in the back burner,” said Kamau.

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The threat of book piracy, which has led to selling books in digital formats at discount costs, is another issue that publishers are still struggling with.

This comes at a time when the Nairobi International Book Fair is set to take place from Wednesday, September 27 to October 1, 2023, at the Sarit Centre Expo in Westlands.

Regarding the approaching Book Fair, Mr. Kamau remarked that this year's event has drawn numerous exhibitors from all across Africa and other areas of the world. The subject of the fair is "Nurturing Talent Through Publishing."

“In particular, we are delighted that the African Publishers Network (APNET) has sent a powerful delegation with representatives from all corners of the continent. All these exhibitors will have an opportunity to strengthen collaborations and partnerships with local players, as well as initiating, nurturing and developing new ones,” he stated.

Kamau acknowledged that the Book Fair is happening against the backdrop of the concrete private-public partnership between the Government of Kenya and book publishers.