Staff make clothes at Rivatex East Africa Restricted in Eldoret city, Uasin Gishu. FILE PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NMG

Parliament has shot down a proposal by the Ministry of Commerce and Industrialisation to maneuver Rivatex from Eldoret to Naivasha.

The Nationwide Meeting’s committee on Commerce and Business instructed the Business Principal Secretary Juma Mukhwana to drop the concept as leaders from the North Rift area is not going to settle for the attire manufacturing firm to be moved to the Naivasha Particular Financial Zone.

Dr Mukhwana instructed the committee chaired by James Gakuya that there are plans by the ministry to switch the Eldoret-based Rivatex to Naivasha.

The committee vice chairperson Maryanne Keitany led different MPs in rejecting the proposal arguing the transfer will harm the local people which relies on the attire agency for jobs.

“We are going to reject any try to maneuver Rivatex from Eldoret to Naivasha. That could be a large no to us. The manufacturing unit helps many households who rely upon it for employment. The very best you are able to do is to open a subsidiary firm in Naivasha however to not transfer Rivatex,” Ms Keitany mentioned.

Learn: Rivatex advantages EAC cotton farmers on Kenya scarcity

She mentioned these within the political area will block any makes an attempt to relocate Rivatex from Eldoret. She mentioned the federal government had pumped some huge cash to revive Rivatex and shifting it out of Eldoret shall be an impossibility.

The ministry had knowledgeable the committee {that a} coverage choice had been made to relocate Rivatex to Naivasha’s particular financial zone.

“Don’t even think about shifting Rivatex. This can by no means occur on this nation. We is not going to permit Rivatex to be moved,” Adams Kipsanai, the Keiyo North MP mentioned.

Vihiga Lady Consultant Beatrice Adagala demanded to know whether or not public participation had been undertaken within the affected group on the deliberate motion of Rivatex from Eldoret.

She requested Dr Mukhwana to elucidate whether or not residents of Eldoret and its environs are comfy with the relocation plan.

Ms Adagala mentioned Rivatex helps farmers so far as the western area and relocating the agency will have an effect on them in an enormous approach.

Dr Mukhwana mentioned the choice to maneuver Rivatex from Eldoret to Naivasha was made at a better degree.

“On the difficulty of shifting Rivatex from Eldoret to Naivasha, we are going to take it up with our seniors,” Dr Mukhwana instructed MPs.

He appeared earlier than the committee along with the Principal Secretary for Investments Abubakar Hassan to defend their respective budgets underneath Supplementary Funds No 1.

The 2 PSs decried the slashing of the Commerce and Business budgets arguing it’s going to have an effect on key precedence areas because the ministry shall be unable to undertake plans to draw buyers.

The Treasury allotted the ministry Sh7 billion within the present finances underneath the investments promotion and business however has been slashed by Sh1.4 billion within the Supplementary Funds.

Beneath the Commerce State Division, the Treasury allotted Sh4 billion however slashed Sh486.8 million.

“The out there finances for the ministry’s precedence areas is Sh137 million, Nonetheless, the entire finances required to completely implement the precedence areas within the Supplementary Funds is Sh2.288 billion,” Mr Mukhwana mentioned.

He mentioned the influence of the finances minimize had affected the initiatives equivalent to Dongo Kundu particular financial zones.

Learn: Rivatex launches new plan to finish scarcity of cotton provide

“We had focused to do Sh35 billion by way of attracting investments however presently we’ve got no finances. For the Export Promotion Zones Authority (EPZA), we focused bSh108 billion however the finances has been diminished,” Mr Mukhwana mentioned.

Mr Abubakar mentioned funding promotions require cash to draw buyers into the nation.

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