Samsung’s Subsidized Laptops Help University Students In Kenya Evade Tax

In a move to raise more revenue to its coffers, the Kenya government introduced a 16% VAT on ICT related products including laptops and phones, making laptop and phone buyers in the country think twice before making any purchases.

However, a new initiative by Samsung Electronics East Africa aiming to promote e-learning in the country will see students evade the tax easily.

Samsung today partnered with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology to provide affordable laptops for their students. The partnership will see all the JKUAT students buy genuine laptops from Samsung at highly subsidized prices. There is nothing illegal in doing that as it’s Samsung lowering its prices and the 16% VAT imposed by the government has not been done away with altogether.

Robert Ngeru, Samsung Electronics East Africa lead said, “Our interest in providing educational solutions arises from the fact that this continent is gripped by poverty, underdevelopment, and unemployment and infrastructure challenges. As a responsible corporate citizen, we therefore seek to address these challenges by implementing effective and sustainable initiatives that will play a key role empowering our utilized youthful talent.”

That talent will in turn fuel innovation in Kenya’s tech scene after school. Kenya’s ICT sector has had an exponential growth due to skills development. However, there is still a growing need for highly-skilled professionals capable of driving IT innovation and entrepreneurship both in the public and private sector.

JKUAT, Kenya’s top technology university believes this  move will help them nurture innovators and use technology to aid and enhance research in learning institutions and in the country as a whole and fil the skills gaps in both private and public sectors.

“Without a doubt, this partnership will drive our efforts in offering quality ICT-based training as we build the next generation of tech business leaders and entrepreneurs who are cognizant of  global  technological trend and  have  vast knowledge of their various areas of study,” explained Professor  Mabel Imbuga, Vice Chancellor, Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology.

Source: Tech Moran