Mombasa residents engage joint committee on Privatisation Bill
The government’s plan to privatise state-owned enterprises came under sharp scrutiny as residents of Mombasa engaged Members of Parliament in a heated public hearing on the proposed Privatisation Bill, 2025.
The forum held on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, convened at Tononoka grounds, brought together the Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning and the Committee on Public Debt and Privatisation. Residents were invited to air their views on the bill, which seeks to open the door for private investment in state-run institutions.
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Committee chairperson Kimani Kuria defended privatisation as a catalyst for efficiency and job creation. Citing Safaricom as a model, he argued that private ownership could transform state enterprises into profitable, innovative entities.
“Privatisation opened the door for Safaricom to expand, create thousands of jobs, and become a global benchmark in innovation. We believe this bill will help replicate that success across other institutions,” Kuria said.
He added that reducing bureaucracy through private management would enhance service delivery and generate higher tax revenues for the government.
Despite the upbeat tone from lawmakers, residents voiced fears over how the policy would affect ordinary Kenyans. The affordability of shares was a key sticking point, with participants worried that only the wealthy would benefit.
“How will ordinary Kenyans buy shares when many of us cannot afford them? Privatisation should not be for the rich alone,” one resident lamented.
Job security also dominated the discussion. Several speakers warned that layoffs often accompany privatisation and sought guarantees that employees would be protected. Others raised alarms about the possible loss of strategic national assets if the process lacked transparency.
While some residents supported the bill, hoping private capital could revive struggling parastatals, many urged MPs to embed protective measures. They demanded safeguards to secure workers’ rights, ensure broad participation in shareholding, and prevent the sale of critical public resources to a privileged few.
In response, committee members pledged to incorporate public concerns into the final draft before tabling the bill in Parliament.
“We are listening. Privatisation is not an end in itself. It is about improving services, creating jobs, and growing the economy in a way that benefits all Kenyans,” Kuria stated
The Mombasa hearing is the first of several county-level consultations planned across the country before the bill proceeds to the House for debate and approval.
