Trade and Industrialization Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has said that he is moving to shut down the highly popular China Square store in downtown Nairobi.
This comes follow claims by traders around Gikomba, Kamukunji, and Muthurwa that China Square was stealing their business by offering products at lower prices.
According to Kuria, Chinese nationalities are only required to come to Kenya as manufacturers and not traders.
“We welcome Chinese investors to Kenya as manufacturers, not traders,” said Kuria.
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The closure of China Square, according to Kuria, will involve Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Wainaina.
“I have today given an offer to Prof. Wainaina the VC Kenyatta University to buy out the lease for China Square, Unicity Mall and hand it over to the Gikomba, Nyamakima, Muthurwa and Eastleigh Traders Association,” said Kuria.
Reacting to the news, sociologist Viscount K’owuor lamented that the traders who are complaining about China Square had all the opportunity to form an association, pull capital together and import in larger scales , or even rent one mall and establish their own Kamkunji Square.
“We cannot stifle business competition to protect some people. Kenyans are working and doing business in China , Malaysia, Singapore , Dubai. We shouldn’t bring conflict in bilateral trade for narrow ends,” he said.
K’owuor went on:
“There’s some stupid hypocrisy that we shouldn’t tolerate. That China should do the manufacturing and leave the business of selling to Kenyans? So Kenyans have no brains fit for manufacturing, they can only sell?”
K’owuor said that this is the same country where after stealing billions, all a Kenyan can think of is building an apartment block. So he can lazy about while collecting rent.
“Very few Kenyans , except the Asian community think of investing in manufacturing. If we continue importing stuffs from China , there’s no harm in China bringing the same stuffs to our doorsteps at a cheaper price,” he said.