Why business leaders cannot be spectators in elections

Nairobi City. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] .

It is high time business leaders in Kenya borrowed from the words of Napoleon Bonaparte; if you want a thing done well, do it yourself.

For far too long, we have lamented over challenges facing businesses at both county and national levels, with appeals and delegations to the political class ending in vain. To get the results we so yearn for, we need to join the political class come August.

As at June 2021, the national government owed suppliers Sh36.35 billion. Make no mistake, this is not inclusive of the debt owed to suppliers by county governments. Times without number have we witnessed business owners going bankrupt and others being auctioned due to delayed payments, with some debts going as far back as 1995.

Above everyone, the Kenyan business community feels the pain and agony of delayed payments. It is time we vie for political seats, go to the Senate and expedite the passing of the Prompt Payment Bill, 2021, which will require the government to make payments to suppliers within 30 days of delivery failure to which interest accrues. Goodwill lubricates law enforcement; we need to join the political class to ensure once the Bill is passed it does not just become law in paper but in action as well.

The current political class has clearly demonstrated that they do not have the interest of Kenyans doing business at heart. Every financial year, the Finance Bill is one of the most important Bills in Parliament if not the most important. In the Finance Bill of 2018, members of National Assembly passed the eight per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel in full knowledge of its ripple effect on the economy and costs of production. This brought the cumulative taxes and levies on fuel to a whopping 47 per cent of the pump price. The business community cannot afford to spectate and speak from the sidelines. If we want it done, we will have to do it ourselves.

An important part of Kenya’s governance structure the business community should be looking to enter is county governments. Businesses have decried harassment by county askaris, with counties developing a hostile attitude towards businesses all in the name of revenue mobilisation. Businesses doing cross county trade regret the inception of counties as they are forced to pay cess and advertisement fees in each and every county they step into. 

In this era of globalisation, trade agreements with foreign nations are vital. For long we have left it to the political class to debate and make decisions on trade agreements and in some occasions, we have ended up with a raw deal. We need to sit in those trade committees and protect the interest of traders and SMEs.

It is impractical for all business persons to vie for office in the upcoming General Election. However, each and every business person can play a role in supporting other business persons to ascend to office. It starts with registering as a voter. We can support business persons vying for office by campaigning for them, donating to their campaigns and voting for them as they are the only ones who truly understand what we go through daily.

Dr Rutto is 1st vice president of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry