Regional
East Africa private sector keeps close eye on Kenya elections
The
East African private sector is asking Kenya to conduct peaceful elections on
August 9 to ensure the movement of goods on the Northern Corridor.
“Our
expectation is a smooth transition and fairness in the electoral process with
no disruption to economic activities and avoid a repeat of what happened in
2007,” said John Kalisa, CEO of the East African Business Council.
Kenya
has been hard-pressed to assure its neighbours of safety of their goods and
security on the northern route that links Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and DR
Congo to Mombasa port, with Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, last
week assuring the region of maximum security during the election period.
“We
are well prepared for the elections,” he said, “and there is no evidence to
warrant alarm. This is the government’s assurance to our development partners.”
“The
government has put in place infrastructure that will see the movement of goods
from the port of Mombasa up to Kisumu port for onward transmission to Uganda
and the DRC,” said Dr Kevit Desai, EAC Principal Secretary in Kisumu on
Thursday.
The
Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) says that whenever there is an
election, business tends to slow down but the country remains resilient and
will carry out a peaceful election and transition.
“Historically,
there has been slowdown in business in election years, and this year is no
different,” said KAM chief executive Tobias Alando. “We have witnessed a
wait-and-see stance by investors, local and foreign, before embarking on new
projects or expanding existing ones. This impacts job and wealth creation and,
ultimately, the performance of the sectors.”
In
Kenya, businesses and citizens are struggling under the weight of additional
punitive taxes by the governments, which were enacted through the new Finance
Acts. But KAM says any nation’s development is reliant on elected leaders, so
elections are a fundamental part of a country’s prosperity.
“We need to see polls not as a stand-alone
event that paralyses our lives but as part and parcel of our daily
decision-making,” said Mr Alando.
Source: www.theeastafrican.co.ke