Kisumu East Member of Parliament Shakeer Shabbir has accused the Kenyan-Asian community of being selfish, alleging that the said community do not prioritise investing locally to benefit the citizens.
He blamed Kenyans of Asian origin living in Kisumu and said that they had not learnt the significance of giving back to the society but instead stuffed their money in foreign bank accounts and invested the surplus in their religious development projects and celebrations.
“I had difficulties during my time in office as mayor over getting the Asians involved in development projects within the city. It is prudent to actively participate in projects that directly impact on the lives of locals beside paying tax,” he said.
Shabbir also lamented that his community had allegedly sidelined him in 2008 when he married Nancy Wanyonyi, a marriage which he said a wide section of them (his community) condemned as being against their traditions.
The Asian-origin lawmaker is among the very few Asians to be voted into the National Assembly.