- In whose interest is it when 55,000 people working in this industry lose their jobs?
- The big affair with SportPesa was not enough, a scandalous attempt is underway to connect a successful and recognised foreign company with illegal activities.
Image: FILE
Kenya is on the verge of becoming an undesirable environment for foreign investors because of individuals working against the interests of the state.
A new scandal is happening in the gaming industry, in which local powerful people are trying to drive foreign companies out of the market and take primacy in an illegal and primitive way by setting up scandals.
The companies pay more than $60 million into state and local government budgets annually in the name of fiscal and parafiscal charges. During the coronavirus pandemic the companies have supported communities with continuous health donations, but this seems to be undesirable to some individuals in Kenya.
Do Kenyan people have a say in this?
In whose interest is it when 55,000 people working in this industry lose their jobs? Can the powerful people who only care about themselves sustain the health system in the midst of a pandemic, without the financial assistance that these socially responsible companies provide to hospitals?
Maybe we should ask doctors in Nairobi, Baringo, Bomet, Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Kisumu, Kakamega, Kitui and Nakuru.
The coronavirus pandemic is a huge blow to the global economy. No branch of the economy has been able to withstand it.
The positive measures that companies are introducing with the primary focus on the health and well-being of their employees and their families are encouraging. Companies in the gaming industry have recorded a 90 per cent drop in profit, but employees do not have to worry about financial stability, because their jobs are secure, and salaries are paid regularly.
This policy, attitude and approach should be an example of behaviour and inspiration, both to other companies and to individuals, because the actions taken during the pandemic send a strong message of humanity and togetherness. It is only by following this path that this pandemic can be stopped.
Instead, some individuals are calling for the destruction of what maintains Kenya’s economic stability and labour market, even in a time of crisis. The big affair with SportPesa was not enough, a scandalous attempt is underway to connect a successful and recognised foreign company with illegal activities.
Who are the individuals who place lies in the media, like in the case of SportPesa? The court has already annulled such decisions, but the conspiracy continues against anyone who legally tries to do business in Kenya. Who is behind the domestic lobby that, by creating fake scandals, is trying to take over the business and banish the competition from the market in an unfair way?
Foreign investors, you are not welcome! Due to the personal interests of some individuals, we are not able to receive the millions that foreign investors would bring into the state budget. Is that really the message Kenya wants to send to the world?