Businessman Richard Ngatia will defend his position as the president of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce in the elections slated for June. Ngatia who has already served a three-year term plus a one-year extension as the head of the influential business lobby will defend his seat against his vice president Eric Rutto.
Ngatia has been endorsed by delegates from 5 counties drawn from the Mt Kenya region, 14 counties that form the Lake Region (Western, Nyanza and South Rift regions) and the metropolitan areas including Nairobi, Narok and Kajiado.
With a month to the KNCCI polls, Ngatia has hit the campaign trail countrywide and has met delegates from different counties who have given his re-election bid a thumbs up. Fourteen counties of the Lake Region economic block met in Kisumu to make a declaration for Chamber President Ngatia’s second term.
During a meeting on April 28th, 2023, Central Kenya delegates unanimously endorsed Ngatia’s candidature for the presidency.
“When Central Kenya went to a historical chamber election on the slopes of Mt Kenya, a new dawn was born on the historic shorelines of Lake Victoria. Dawn would seek to rewrite the history of the chamber forever. We will vote on the 8th, of June,2023, But our votes will be counted by IEB on RN Volcano Team, Waiting for the day,” declared the Central Kenya delegates.
While speaking today at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu during a meeting with KNCCI leaders from the lake region economic bloc (LREB), Ngatia said he was confident of retaining his seat owing to his track record.
“I have made a decision to defend my seat. I am happy that the KNCCI leadership from the 14 counties that make up this bloc have made a declaration to support and vote for me, “he said.
He added that the chamber will also build capacity for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to ensure they have access to finances to grow the sector.
He also called for a resolution of the current impasse between Azimio la Umoja and the government saying the protests are hurting businesses across the country. He explained that the business sector was still reeling from the effects of the covid-19 lockdown asking all political leaders in the country to work on resolving their differences to create a conducive environment for business to thrive.
“It has been very difficult for us. We had covid-19 and as businesses were struggling to bounce back we experienced drought and the war in Ukraine and the general elections which disrupted businesses,” he said.
The KNCCI boss said besides hurting business, the country risked losing out on direct foreign investment since the disruptions were scaring potential investors.
“Our members have also suffered immensely because of these disruptions. Our prayer is that there should be no more demonstrations for us to have a conducive environment for the economy to bounce back,” he said.
