By Elijah Odhiambo
The Business Registration Service (BRS) has onboarded 15 new services , in a system upgrade to a new platform as it seeks to offer online customers the best services.
“Since we commenced transition to the new improved platform on Friday, March 6, 2023, we have onboarded fifteen (15) key services,” BRS Director General Kenneth Gathuma said.
The newly added services include the application for a hire-purchase business license, the appointment of a company secretary, the revocation of a business name, and entity name changes.
Other additional services include shifting a company’s address, amending the articles of incorporation for all corporations, and getting rid of the company secretary.
The registry hosts some of these services on the eCitizen portal, the official digital payments platform for government services.
Section 4(1) of the BRS Act of 2015 defines Business Registration Service is a state corporation that manages policies, laws, and other issues pertaining to the registration of businesses, partnerships, and firms as well as corporations doing business under a business name, bankruptcy, hire-purchase agreements, and security rights.
According to the BRS Director General, the platform has already started processing applications and hopes the upgrade will help reduce the load of work at hand.
“We also commenced processing applications and we anticipate to quickly address the backlog within the shortest time possible.”
However, it says that during the onboarding process, it experienced numerous technical challenges that were later addressed.
In its financial year to June 2022, the BRS registered 73,183 entities, including 50,876 business names, 34,697 private firms and 50 public companies.
Further, the BRS registered 100 foreign companies, 251 companies limited by guarantee and 278 limited liability partnerships.
Over the same period, the BRS struck off 1,068 entities from the registry.
