MP Rigathi Gachagua Wants Foreigners Restricted to Tenders Worth over Sh1 Billion in New Bill

A Member of Parliament has drafted a new Bill seeking to have foreigners restricted to government contracts worth more than Sh1 billion.

In his Bill, Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua says the proposal aims at blocking Chinese nationals and other foreigners from doing jobs that can be done by Kenyan citizens.

The first-term parliamentarian argues that many companies owned by foreign citizens, especially the Chinese have taken over local supply businesses, denying Kenyans thousands of job opportunities.

He says that local companies and businesses owned by Kenyans are struggling to find market for their products and wants changes introduced to the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act to cure the wrongs.

“We are staring at a very glaring picture. We are having what I would call the Chinese economic invasion to the republic of Kenya. This people came here slowly and slowly they are kicking the owner of the house out, economically,” says Rigathi.

He wants the law amended to force the government to give tenders worth Sh1 billion and below to locals firms that are 100 percent owned by Kenyans.

“What is annoying us is that once they get a contract the materials coming for the construction is procured from China, and they import it duty free,” adds the Mathira MP.

Gachagua says foreigners are impoverishing Kenyans by repatriating all their profits to their countries.