Sifuna Blasts Ruto After Formation of Committee to Resolve Tata Chemicals Magadi Dispute

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has criticized President William Ruto over inconsistent government decisions. 

Speaking on Wednesday, September 9, in the Senate, Sifuna questioned Ruto’s recent directive ordering Tata Chemicals Magadi to leave, and the formation of a committee to address the issues surrounding the company.

“These roadside declarations are made by a person in authority, and in two days he has to change his mind and backtrack. For instance, I saw that the Minister for Mining is telling us that in the Magadi Soda case, after the head of state pronounced himself and said pack go that now he is setting up a committee to review the issues surrounding Magadi Soda,” Sifuna stated. 

The Nairobi Senator urged President Ruto to consider the law and established procedures before issuing directives. 

“Before you blurt out an instruction from your high office, consider the law,” Sifuna said.

Senator Sifuna warned that roadside declarations could undermine investor confidence in Kenya.  

“I am sure that investors across the world watching the happenings in Kenya would be very concerned about whether if this country is a place where they can invest their money,” Sifuna added. 

On Tuesday, Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho announced that the government has agreed with Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited to establish a high-level technical committee to address outstanding compliance concerns following the suspension of operations at the company.

Joho said the decision was reached after he held a meeting with executives of Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited to discuss the concerns raised by the ministry.

Joho said the committee will bring together senior officials from the Ministry of Mining and the company to facilitate a comprehensive review and timely resolution of the issues.

"To facilitate a comprehensive and timely resolution of the outstanding matters, we agreed to establish a high-level technical committee. 

"The committee will be led by the Principal Secretary for Mining on behalf of the Ministry and the Chief Executive Officer of Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited on behalf of the Company," the statement added.

According to Joho, the committee will examine the unresolved compliance matters and submit its findings to the Cabinet Secretary for consideration and further direction.

"The committee will undertake a detailed technical review of the outstanding and unresolved compliance matters, prepare and submit a report to my office for consideration and further direction," the statement further read.

The announcement came barely a week after President Ruto confirmed that he ordered the shutdown of the company.

Speaking on Thursday, September 3, in Kajiado County, Ruto said the company had held the license to mine soda ash in Lake Magadi for a hundred years without making sufficient investments in the county or creating enough employment opportunities for locals. 

“Tata Chemicals has had a licence for 100 years but has not built anything in Kajiado or employed any people from Kajiado.

"I told them to pack up their things and leave. Let them go. These people come here, take our resources and transport them to India and other countries," Ruto said.