By: John Kariuki
Worth Noting:
- The key objective of my candidature is to return the business lobby institution in the hands of the business community as was the foresight of our founders. Over the past few years the Chamber leadership has lost direction almost taking it back to the days of politics but thanks to the solid structures and foundations that its governing council has put in place over the years it has survived the tide.
- Looking at the key objectives of why our forefathers thought that we should have a chamber can guide us into the future. First, the chamber is supposed to be the trade support institution of choice for all businesses in Kenya where members can look up to whenever they need a balanced and fair marketplace to trade.
Dr Eric K. Rutto is a businessman with investments in the health sector, a doctor by training and the Chamber vice president seeking the top seat at the Kenya national chamber of commerce and industry. I am driven by values including honesty, transparency and integrity which are important when conducting business. I also believe in a business managed and built on strong structures where for the sake of KNCCI the board and secretariat have clearly defined roles that enable them to work heterogeneously.
Reason you’re the best candidate for KNCCI
I am the best candidate for this post because I have the interest of the business community at heart having started my business as an MSME to its current state through honest means and sheer hard work by the entire team. Also going by the past four years and my manifesto which we will launch next week, I can confidently say that only our team has a plan and the right one. Lastly, the business community, that the camber represents, deserve a strong and equal to the task trade lobby that can champion their rights and enable them achieve their aspirations.
Your key objective
The key objective of my candidature is to return the business lobby institution in the hands of the business community as was the foresight of our founders. Over the past few years the Chamber leadership has lost direction almost taking it back to the days of politics but thanks to the solid structures and foundations that its governing council has put in place over the years it has survived the tide.
Looking at the key objectives of why our forefathers thought that we should have a chamber can guide us into the future. First, the chamber is supposed to be the trade support institution of choice for all businesses in Kenya where members can look up to whenever they need a balanced and fair marketplace to trade. This can be achieved through lobbying for the right policies that promote, coordinate and protect the commercial interest for all its members and the overall business community. This includes but is not limited to opposing legislations and ineffective regulations and other policies by any branch of government that is against the interest of its members.
Secondly the chamber also has the responsibility to enable its members have access to markets locally, regionally and internationally by first using its vast networks of chambers across the world and also providing access to various exhibitions, fairs and displays for networking purposes.
Thirdly, as you are aware there will always be disputes arising from business. The chamber can then be the safe haven for the business community to settle commercial and industrial disputes with the institution providing an arbitration center.
Lastly due to its vast networks locally, regionally and internationally the chamber is well placed to provide data on the market including analysis through a number of ways including; commercial exchanges, newsrooms, libraries, surveys, outlooks, magazines to name but a few.
Let me add that all this can only be achieved through inclusion where the business community is not hampered from participating based on age, gender or any form of disability.
My objective is thus to lead the chamber to achieve its key objectives to the benefit of the entire business community.
Parting shot
Kenya National Chamber of Commerce is at the right place in history to take advantage of the increasingly breakdown of barricades to trade both regionally and internationally with particularly EAC, COMESA and AfCFTA providing channels of trade with our neighbouring states. We have however to look internally at some of our policies that continue to hamper trade within our country such as the multiple taxes across counties and the multiple licenses that our business community continue to encounter. This together with our delayed payments problem by both the private sector and government continue to be the biggest impediments to our business community achieving its full potential. These are some of the priority areas that the chamber will embark on immediately we take office. WE have also committed to the women in business, youth and people with disabilities offices and strong county offices that will drive mobilization and lobbying activities at the county level. The future is bright with a Dr Eric Rutto and Mustafa Ramadhan leadership.
