The National Assembly Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Committee during the session at Harambee Sacco Plaza in Nairobi County on Thursday, August 17, 2023 when traders from Nyamakima appeared before the committee.
Nairobi’s Nyamakima traders are back in the political equation and their threat is ominous: Take us for granted if you are strangers to what we did to Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022.
The Nyamakima traders are believed to have been pivotal in determining which camp Nairobi voted for in 2022, with the predominantly Mt Kenya actors ganging up against Mr Kenyatta whom they accused of instituting punitive anti-business policies.
The traders embraced then Deputy President William Ruto—now president—and continued to resist elaborate overtures to win them back and hand the ruling Jubilee Party the capital’s governor’s seat.
Dr Ruto generals led by among others, Rigathi Gachagua, Johnson Sakaja, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, Ndindi Nyoro, Kimani Ichung’wa and Ferdinand Waititu repeatedly accused Mr Kenyatta of killing Nyamakima traders’ businesses to promote “dynasties”.
The traders believed that the Kenyatta regime had deliberately launched a war against them by using the war against counterfeits to destroy their wares, unleashing the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) on them, demolishing their shops, as well as encouraging foreign importers to compete with them for market share. The traders also decried what they termed draconian import regulations that seemed to promote bulk shippers.
Now coalescing as Nairobi Business Community, the traders are reminding the Kenya Kwanza Alliance government that there are promises it made to them during the 2022 polls that remain unfulfilled almost two years later, and they are not short of options.
The traders’ chairman, Mr Wilfred Kamau, told the Nation: “We are a very understanding people, patriotic to the hilt and love no trouble ... until one takes us for a ride”.
He said the association is currently promoting unity of its members and good relations with all leaders “with an eye on how best we can be enabled to trade profitably”.
Noticing the building unrest among the traders, both Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya politicians have begun been courting them for 2027, and they, in turn, have placed their demands on the table for President Ruto.
Nyamakima traders Chairman Nelson Iruku, Organising Secretary Anne Nyokabi (centre) and Mercy Maina when they appeared before the National Assembly’s Trade committee in Nairobi on August 17, 2023.
One of the courting session happened on March 16, with both Kenya Kwanza and Azimio politicians attending a prayer day that the traders had organised in Nyamakima.
The Kenya Kwanza wing was represented by MP Ndindi Nyoro and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja while the Azimio brigade was led by Wiper leader Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, Nairobi Senator and ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
The traders said that they are yet to get reprieve from “punitive actions of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Anti-Counterfeit Authority, the brutal city askaris and lack of enough trading spaces”.
Several speakers said they were taking stock of the pre-election pledges for purposes of making an informed decision, sending a not-so-subtle threat to the government.
Mr Nyoro conceded that the traders were raising valid concerns “that we also as government acknowledge and promise to address”.
Starehe MP Amos Mwago said the city askaris use of brute force and KRA’s tax appetite were defeating the bottom-up economic model that the President rode onto power.
Mr Sakaja said “we swear that we will not be like that Kenyatta administration that even branded vuvuzelas as counterfeit and proceeded to destroy them”.
Mr Oparanya declared that “what has been lacking to help the traders thrive is lack of a caring government that well understands the importance of small and medium enterprises to the nation in terms of wealth creation”.
He hit the government further by urging Mr Nyoro, who is the national Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee chairperson, to ensure that in future they “do not make Finance Bills of the nature of the 2023 one that limit instead of promote SMEs potential”.
Mr Musyoka urged the traders to remain strong in the face of the raging economic storms affecting the business community and led them into a resilience inspiration song.
Mr Nyoro promised the traders a stronger shilling to keep their businesses competitive “and I can assure you our President is on that case and directing all hands on the deck to make it real”.
Mr Sakaja promised to ensure that “we live to the pre-election pledges that we made and by close of 2027 you will have agreed fully with us that we were the best bet for you”.
Importers and Small Traders Association Organising Secretary Anne Nyokabi disclosed that Nyamakima traders on March 1, 2023 met President Ruto and Mr Gachagua to discuss foreigners’ “takeover” of local markets, citing China and Pakistan. She said they were still waiting for policies that will enable them to control wholesale and retail ends of the value chain.
She said their desire is to have policies in place that will limit foreign actors to only invest in the country in the manufacturing sector.
“We should not continue to have these foreigners coming into the business space as manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers ... they come enjoying export rebates from their countries and can afford to exercise cost-to-cost pricing in the retail,” she said.
Ms Nyokabi said the foreign exporters get 15 per cent rebates on exports.
“They only need to export and use the rebates as their profits. They usually make over Sh3 million in one shipment. That is good profit and they can afford to lower their retail prices to bare minimum,” she said.
The official added that the Chinese, who have won many contracts in the country, become consumers of their own imports hence denying locals opportunity to supply government projects.
The Nyamakima effect also played out on Thursday in Nyeri County during the burial ceremony of Joseph Muiga, the father of Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru.
Mr Gachagua, who was the chief guest, said that he will act as the guardian angel for business enterprises in Nairobi owned by people from Mt Kenya. “President Ruto’s government has not changed and is committed to never entertain any aspect of market imperfection and distortion that undermines their existence.”
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino had warned that “should you continue to overtax these traders, I will personally lead protest marches even in Nyeri County”, while Mr Sifuna told Mr Gachagua that “we can close ranks if you exercise exclusivity that seeks prosperity for these traders”.
Mr Gachagua warned Mr Sakaja that the happiness of the Nyamakima traders towards 2027 is his business.
“Remain extremely careful with these traders and they will be careful with you. Mostly, stay closer to me since come 2027 there is something that I will say, I will make an important declaration,” said the DP.
He reminded Mr Sakaja that “these people helped President Ruto and you win and if you retain your covenant with them, they will renew it”. “Mt Kenya people are the least complicated people to live with since if they like you they will openly show it and if they dislike you, they will not pretend.”
