Audio By Vocalize
Tata Chemicals factory in Magadi, Kajiado West constituency Kajiado County. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]
President William Ruto’s directive to shut down Tata Chemicals Magadi has raised many questions far bigger than the fate of companies operating in Kenya today. The key one: is the country becoming a hostile place to invest?
Further, what are the authorities doing to improve the environment for any foreign investor? What incentives are we giving legitimate foreigners with enough capital, to choose Kenya over our neighbours as their investment destination?
Those questions should worry every Kenyan. Tata Chemicals Magadi is not an obscure roadside enterprise. It is a major industrial operation that has extracted soda ash from Lake Magadi for decades, employing thousands of Kenyans directly and indirectly while earning Kenya valuable export revenues. Its products reach markets in India, South-East Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Any decision affecting such an investor therefore carries far-reaching consequences.
