CHINA TAKEOVER-Hawkers demonstrate against Chinese and their products

Small scale traders in Nairobi on Thursday 18th August,2007 held demonstrations against "encroachment" by Chinese merchants in to the Kenyan market risking their businesses .

The traders who mainly deal with essential imported goods cited proliferation of Chinese hawkers in Nairobi selling same goods as those they import from their country leading to competition for space, a move they described as dangerous to the Kenyan traders.

The demonstrations were organized by Kenya Worldwide Importers and Traders Association (KWITA), a conglomeration of small and medium enterprises trading in imported products and they sought to cushion government on legality of presence of Chinese brokers in the country and the quality of some of their products.

According to KWITA chairman Ben Mutahi, the government has shown lack of concern in enforcing law and establishing regulations on trade to salvage small scale traders from exploitation by large scale sellers such as the Chinese.

Mr Mutahi accused the Ministry of Immigration of laxity and he questioned whether the ministry was aware of the existence of Chinese traders, their legality and the social-economic ramifications of their entry in the Kenyan market.

“The current rate at which the Chinese are flowing into our country and our businesses unchecked by the immigration ministry is so alarming that we might soon witness a total take-over of our import and retail chain with disastrous consequences not only in losing employment opportunities but also in exchequer collections,” Mr Mutahi said.

The traders who mostly deal with goods ranging from textiles, mobile phones and accessories, vegetables and electronics alleged that the Chinese merchants operated in the ountry without work permits as well as licenses from various authorities and they urged the government to intervene on the matter.

“We are worried that even some of the Chinese do not have work permits, we would like the trade ministry to establish under what business permits and trade protocols are these people operating on,” Mr Mutahi said.

He further called on the local authorities especially the city council of Nairobi to “establish the licenses if any under which the Chinese are operating to literary hawk on our streets.”

Apparently, the small scale entrepreneurs claimed that the Chinese have repositioned themselves from being suppliers to retailers hence selling goods directly to consumers in Nairobi.

“They have not spared even Wakulima market where they are selling imported onions at the expense of locally produced, if this continues we will be forced to close our small businesses,” the traders said.

They questioned whether the government has any bilateral agreements with China that allows its unskilled nationals to flood our country and take up jobs and businesses that Kenyans are capable of and are already undertaking.

The traders also took issue with the quality of some of Chinese products especially mobile phones, accessories and electronics and they noted that some were below the set international standards thus undermining Kenyans and called on various government agencies to examine quality of those products.

“We want the Kenya Bureau of Standards to ascertain the quality of these products, the Anti-counterfeit agency also should establish the genuineness of goods they are peddling especially mobile phones and accessories in view of the fact that Communication of Kenya is about to block all counterfeit mobile phones,” Mr Mutahi said.

The traders marched to the Prime Minister’s office where they issued their petition before proceeding to Parliament buildings where they petition was received by Dujis MP Aden Duale, Ikolomani MP  Dr Bonny Khalwale and nominated MP Amina Abdala who promised to present their petition in parliament.