Privatisation –Government now says the essence of handing over the key State corporations to the private sector is attributed to the revenues being collected from them
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has today Thursday told the Parliament that iconic mega structures like the Kenyatta International Conference Center KICC have been bringing so little in taxes and revenues and, therefore, a need to privatize them so that serious investors can utilize the space for the benefit of the country.
He cited a Parliament as the key tenant at the KICC and which remits peanuts in form of leases sometimes failing to pay hence the decision to hand over the premises to private sector.
“I have seen in the media a lot of talk. It’s about being financially illiterate. I will not seek to broadcast anything in a studio but I am financially literate. Ignorance with the people is not looking at the Privatization Act passed here recently and which is very clear on divesting.
“This will be done in various ways and there seems to be a lot of propaganda out there. 90 percent of KICC is Parliament paying peanuts because its Government to Government,” Ichung’wah noted on the floor of the House.
He noted that the prime KICC should instead be converted into a five-star hotel to generate a lot of income for the country.
He said KICC has not been generating money to pay its own bills and that, as of now, it owes Kenya Power and Lighting and Nairobi County millions of monies which have to be paid.
The MP added that the privatization the government is talking about is leasing and not selling so that Kenyan can derive enough money from its assets.
