Manufacturers in Thika have urged the government to institute regulations that will shield infant companies from unfair trade practices and global companies encroaching on the Kenyan market.
During the inauguration of the Thika Local Manufacturers Forum, the companies detailed several challenges that have hampered the growth of industries in Kenya.
The manufacturers in particular pointed out that the Jua Kali sector has had to struggle with getting out of the shadow of behemoth multinational companies.
Bimal Shah, the Managing Director of the Broadway Group of Companies, said that the government needs to prop up small scale traders in areas such as training, technological, and also financial support.
“The state needs to protect us from cheap imports and the influx of substandard goods from outside,” Shah said on Wednesday.
The CEO also urged the government to breathe in new life into the country’s textile industry by offering incentives such as the formulation of policies that would encourage more investments.
Speaking at the same event, Thika MP Eng. Patrick Wainaina assured the manufacturers that he would lobby tirelessly for the legislation of policies and bills that would protect local industries.
"Imposition of high tariffs on imports would reduce the volume of imported goods getting into the country, and thus protect local infant industries," said Wainaina
The MP also faulted the Export Processing Zones (EPZ), saying that the country does not benefit from it because its raw materials are sourced externally.
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