Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna says a referendum should have been held in regard to the sale of government parastatals such as the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) and the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC).
According to Sifuna, the government should have conducted a public vote regarding the sale of national assets as well as other state-owned corporations including Kenya Pipeline Company, New Kenya Cooperative Creameries, National Oil Corporation of Kenya, among others.
Sifuna noted that the government should be blamed for enlisting major national assets to be sold to private investors under the new privatization programme without engaging opinions of the public.
“If ever there was a matter over which a referendum was mandatory then it’s the sale of National Assets like KICC, KPC and the others. One generation of greedy leaders cannot just strip a Nation of its assets without reference to the people,” said Sifuna.
Sifuna’s remarks follow a public notice from the National Treasury and Economic Planning Ministry on Monday, November 27, proposing the privatization of KICC and KPC, among other entities.
The National treasury marked 11 state corporations for privatization, under the newly proposed Privatisation Act 2023 arguing that the move will generate more state revenue and boost the country’s economy.
The treasury also noted that the privatization move will save some state-owned corporations which are facing poor financial performance.