National Resistance Movement leader Raila Odinga at a past event. [Photo|nation.co.ke]
Call for an economic boycott by the Opposition is ill-advised, Kenya National Chambers for Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) has said.
National chairman Kiprono Kittony has warned NASA leader Raila Odinga against directing his supporters to boycott products of corporations considered to be pro-Government.
Kittony said Raila, despite his well-earned credentials as one of the foremost proponents of democracy in Kenya, his call was not helping to cool down political temperatures which have negatively affected businesses.
"Although this directive has been styled as liberating the people from corporations purportedly working hand-in-glove with the Government, if followed, it will seriously harm the same people it promises to help," he wrote in an opinion piece published by The Standard, Friday.
The KNCCI boss said a successful boycott will negatively affect Opposition supporters as corporations may decide to halt operations in the NASA strongholds.
"Imagine if Safaricom, which the Opposition included on its list of companies to be boycotted, was to discontinue operations in Opposition strongholds. Much as Safaricom would be affected, it is undoubtedly the people living and working in these regions who would suffer the most," he noted.
Kittony added that hampering the growth of businesses will only exacerbate joblessness in a country already grappling with a 40 percent unemployment rate.
"History will judge how our leaders performed in this area. Let us not forget that it is profitable businesses that put food on the table of Kenyans by creating employment," the business leader added.