Senator Edwin Sifuna of Nairobi has stated that the proposed sale of government parastatals, including the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) and the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), should have been preceded by a referendum.
Sifuna stated that he disagreed with politicians disposing of the country's assets without first consulting the people, arguing that leaders should not make such decisions exclusively.
"The sale of national assets like KICC, KPC, and others is one issue that should always require a referendum. A nation cannot simply be deprived of its resources by a generation of greedy leaders without consulting the populace, Sifuna said.
The Senator continued by arguing that children, as representatives of the future generation, ought to be included in this decision-making process.
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"Because KICC is not even our property as the current generation of adults, even our children should vote on this one," he declared.
Sifuna's comments come in response to a notice released to the public on Monday, November 27, by the Ministry of Economic Planning and the National Treasury, suggesting the privatization of KICC and KPC, among other organizations.
The Ministry contended that the action would lower the demand for public resources and increase government revenue.
Furthermore, the Ministry defended the plan by citing Section 21 (1) of the Privatization Act 2023, which gives the Treasury Cabinet Secretary the authority to designate entities for the Privatization Program.
Other parastatals listed for privatization in the 2023 program, in addition to KICC and KPC, are the following: 35% of Vehicle Manufacturers Limited (KVM), Rivatex East Africa Limited (REAL), Mwea Rice Mills Ltd (MRM), Western Kenya Rice Mills Ltd (WKRM), Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB), National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK), Kenya Seed Company Limited (KSC), and Numerical Machining Complex Limited (NMC).
