Gachagua slams Chinese presence in Kenya, demands more jobs for locals

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has criticized the influx of Chinese nationals in Kenya, accusing them of taking over jobs and businesses that should belong to Kenyans. He also called for the government to reserve tenders worth up to Sh1 billion for local contractors and ensure that foreign firms partner with Kenyan companies for at least 30% of the value of mega projects.

Speaking at a Kenya Kwanza MPs conference at Windsor Golf Hotel on Friday, Gachagua said that the current situation where Chinese are involved in small-scale activities such as roasting maize and repairing punctures is unacceptable and unfair to local entrepreneurs. He said that the government is pushing for a law change to protect Kenyan businesses from foreign competition in procurement and tendering.

“We have identified affordable housing as a key function to make sure that we deal with the rural-urban migration and at the same time create employment for our young people,” he said. “We are going to borrow Sh150 billion from China to complete stalled projects. The president will soon be travelling to China to negotiate that loan and seek credit service for earlier loans.”

He added that the president will also seek to review the terms of the loans borrowed by previous regimes, which have contributed to the country's ballooning debt. According to the latest report by the Controller of Budget, Kenya's debt crossed the Sh10 trillion mark in June 2023, surpassing the Treasury's projection for June 2024.

Gachagua said that he had sponsored a bill in 2018 that proposed to amend the Procurement Act to give preference to local contractors and investors, but it was defeated in Parliament by allies of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga. He urged the National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa to revive the bill and push it through alongside other legislative proposals that support the Kenya Kwanza plan.

“These Chinese are so many. They are everywhere. They are even in our villages. They are doing everything. We must protect our people from this invasion,” he said, echoing the sentiments of many Kenyans who have expressed concern over the growing presence and influence of China in the country.

However, his remarks have drawn mixed reactions from the public, with some accusing him of being hypocritical and insensitive, while others applauding him for speaking out on behalf of Kenyans. Some have also questioned the wisdom of borrowing more money from China, which is already Kenya's largest creditor, while others have expressed doubt over the feasibility and sustainability of the Kenya Kwanza plan.