NAIROBI, Kenya — Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has criticised President William Ruto’s approach of ordering companies accused of failing to deliver sufficient benefits to Kenya to “pack up and go”, warning that such remarks could undermine investor confidence and job creation.
Sifuna said disputes between governments and businesses were inevitable but should be handled through established legal and dispute-resolution mechanisms rather than public directives for companies to leave the country.
The senator was responding to Ruto’s order for Tata Chemicals Magadi to leave Kenya, after the President accused the company of failing to create enough jobs and establish industries in Kajiado County despite holding a licence to mine soda ash at Lake Magadi for about a century.
“When companies make decisions about where to put their investments, the dispute resolution regime in place is key because disputes arise all the time,” Sifuna said.
“The ‘mambo matatu, pack and go’ approach, where the President can just shut down your business, is very bad for investment and consequently job creation.”
Sifuna invokes Ruto’s ‘mambo ni matatu’ approach
Sifuna was referring to Ruto’s “mambo ni matatu” phrase, which the President has used when warning people accused of wrongdoing that they face three options — going to jail, leaving the country or dying.
The senator argued that applying such an approach to businesses could have broader economic consequences by making investors uncertain about the security of their investments and the mechanisms available to resolve commercial disputes.
He said the Linda Mwananchi political movement, of which he is a leading figure, would prioritise adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law if it forms the next government after the 2027 General Election.
“It is why we in Linda Mwananchi insist on a return to the rule of law. That’s our plan,” Sifuna said.
His comments came hours after Ruto ordered Tata Chemicals Magadi to leave Kenya during a visit to Kajiado County on Thursday, September 3.
Ruto orders Tata Chemicals Magadi to leave
Ruto accused Tata Chemicals Magadi of failing to translate its long-standing soda ash mining operations into sufficient employment and industrial development for Kajiado County and Kenya.
“We have vast resources that can transform Kajiado County and our country, Kenya. That Tata Chemicals company has had a licence for 100 years but has not built anything in Kajiado or employed any people from Kajiado,” Ruto said in Oloiren.
“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.”
The President said the government would seek another company to take over the operations, with the replacement investor expected to establish a major glass manufacturing plant and another chemical-processing factory.
The directive places Tata Chemicals Magadi at the centre of a wider debate over how Kenya manages its natural resources and what it should expect in return from companies exploiting those resources.
Tata Chemicals’ Lake Magadi operations
Tata Chemicals Magadi is owned by Tata Chemicals Limited, part of India’s Tata Group.
The company operates at Lake Magadi in Kajiado County, where it extracts trona deposits and produces soda ash, also known as sodium carbonate, alongside other salt and industrial mineral products.
Soda ash is an important industrial raw material used in sectors including glass manufacturing, chemicals and other industrial processes.
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Ruto’s criticism centres on the government’s argument that the economic benefits generated by the operation should be greater, particularly through local employment and downstream manufacturing.
Tata Chemicals Magadi’s position on the President’s latest directive and the allegations regarding its contribution to Kajiado would be important in determining the full picture.
For Sifuna, however, the issue extends beyond the dispute involving one company.
He argued that Kenya’s ability to attract and retain investment depends not only on the availability of natural resources and commercial opportunities, but also on predictable rules, constitutional safeguards and credible mechanisms for resolving disputes.
The exchange between Ruto and Sifuna therefore sets up a broader debate over where Kenya should draw the line between protecting national interests and maintaining an investment environment in which companies can operate with confidence.
