Government must act on influx of unskilled labour from Asia

Over the recent past, the matter of growing numbers of Chinese unskilled workers in Kenya has been reported widely.

Cases have been reported of immigrants competing in the low end of the labour market in enterprises like maize roasting, hawking second-hand shoes and counterfeit phones.

For some time, we have witnessed the steady infiltration and takeover of Biashara Street in Nairobi by Chinese clothes retailers.

Although this is a matter that should be of substantial importance to all of us, the reaction to the phenomenon has been mostly muted except for the few demonstrations by hawkers who felt threatened by this unexpected competition.

A few posts on social networks have referred to the matter but they have mainly downplayed the significance of this surge in Chinese immigration, often making snide jokes.

Some have argued that since Kenyans are renowned for lower-end trade in other countries, they should not shy from competition at home.

Others have argued that the fact that China is the source of competitively priced products, we should allow the maker and the product free rein in our country.

In response to the demonstrations, the Chinese embassy issued a statement that the citizens in question were in the country legitimately and engaged in legitimate enterprise.

It is my view that this matter deserves much more attention and public engagement than it is getting. A visit to Uganda can show anyone the direction we are headed if we do not agree on clear policies on Chinese immigration.

In Kampala, Chinese waiters are now serving local clients. Basic kiosk operations are now a destination of expatriate vendors. The whole of East Africa is a constant reminder to us: when illegal immigrants settle down and create families, they will never leave.

Kenya is a labour surplus economy whose national interest must be defined as keeping a lid on any unnecessary immigration that will further depress the labour market.

Our opening of the market to other members of the East African Common market is founded on the understanding that we have a competitive labour product which will secure a livelihood in the neighbouring countries more than their product in our market.

Thus we project net market gains for Kenyans. China has never negotiated any agreement on trade in services with Kenya.

This means it is virtually impossible for Kenyans with modest skills to penetrate the Chinese labour market.

In the absence of a bilateral agreement on what in WTO-speak is called Mode Four Services Trade, employment of semi-skilled labour, Kenya has to rely on its immigration and foreign investment law in dealing with Chinese investors.

This provides specific categories of technical and managerial expatriates and their immediate families who may get residence visas in association with certain levels of direct foreign investment.

The first reading from what is going on is that the people at Immigration are at it again, selling visas to unskilled hawkers who should never leave the shores of their country in the first place.

This they have done shamelessly for people from the Indian sub-continent and Somalia over the past decade.

Secondly, the dragnet on illegal immigrants may not be adequately used by Kenyan police.

How can we otherwise explain the mushrooming brothels with Chinese prostitutes in the Hurlingham, Kilimani and Lavington areas of Nairobi?

More fundamentally, we are all not appreciating the social and political pressures we are inventing for ourselves as we allow residents from the Orient who are offering direct competition to our citizens in the most basic areas of our economy.

There is absolutely no logic to claims that if we import Chinese cell phones, we must import Chinese retailers.

Ask the Chinese to import Kenyan tea girls every time they import Kenyan tea. China is a friendly country to Kenya.

The positive relations built by our governments over the past decade are the foundation upon which future sustainable engagement should be built.

But we know also that China is home to a quarter of humanity. Opening up our country to dubious immigrants from them may hurt the long-term interests of sustainable engagement.

As we head into the election season, public and citizen watchdogs are likely to fix their attention on monitoring elections.

Those seeking funds for elections will look in every opportunity possible. This is the season when mass immigration by people who absolutely have no business being in Kenya is likely to surge.

It is of national interest that maximum scrutiny is given to the happenings during this period.

Beyond blocking those trying to enter our labour market now, we should audit visas that have been given to foreigners over the past decade.

Kenya should scrutinise the papers of expatriate mini-bus drivers from the Indian sub-continent we see on our roads and whichever papers Chinese roadside maize roasters carry.

Dr Mukhisa Kituyi is a director of the Kenya Institute of Governance. [email protected]