'You have no clarity', Ruto hits back at Sifuna over Tata Chemicals row

President William Ruto has hit back at the Linda Mwananchi political movement over its criticism of his decision to order Tata Chemicals Magadi to leave Kenya, accusing its leaders of failing to understand the issues surrounding the exploitation of the country's natural resources.

Speaking at a rally in Magadi, Kajiado County on Saturday, Ruto dismissed arguments that the government should invoke the rule of law to protect Tata Chemicals, maintaining that the law could not be invoked to protect contracts that, in his view, exploit Kenyans.

He said that those defending the existing arrangement had misunderstood the debate around investment and resource exploitation.

"Mimi nimesikia wale watu wa Linda Sponsor wanasema eti wanapingana na mimi. Mimi nataka niwaambie wale watu wa Linda Sponsor: you have no clarity on anything...Don't tell us about the rule of law," Ruto stated. 

"There is no rule of law that sustains extractive, exploitative contracts that undermine the interests of the nation, the interests of the people of Kenya, or the interests of the people of Kajiado."

The President also rejected the argument that exporting raw materials could create meaningful employment opportunities for Kenyans.

"The problem with having agreed and submitted yourself to be puppets, hirelings and stooges of your sponsor is that you have no mind of your own. You cannot think straight," Ruto noted.

"It doesn't matter how much schooling you have had. It doesn't matter how much English you speak. You cannot speak anything meaningful because you want to protect exploitative contracts."

President Ruto thus announced plans to reopen the process of awarding rights to exploit the soda ash resources in the area, saying the government would seek to attract several companies rather than allow a single firm to control the resource.

"We are going to advertise afresh so that other companies, not just one company, can apply. Three, four, five, six, even ten companies can apply because the resource we have in Magadi is big enough to sustain more than one company," he said.

"This time round, we are going to make sure the contract is firm on ensuring that value addition of our minerals and the resources in Magadi is not done abroad. Value addition is going to be done here in Kenya."

Ruto noted that the government would also require the establishment of manufacturing industries, including glass and chemical factories, as part of efforts to ensure local communities benefit from the natural resources.

"The glass factory will be done here in Kenya. The chemical factory will be done here in Kenya. They will hire Kenyan workers and use Kenyan resources so that we can grow our economy and create value from the products and resources available here in the Republic of Kenya," said Ruto.

His remarks came hours after Sifuna criticised the President's directive to have Tata Chemicals leave the country, warning that the approach could undermine investor confidence and hurt job creation.

Sifuna on Friday argued that disputes between governments and companies should be handled through established legal mechanisms rather than presidential orders.

The Nairobi Senator warned that the President's "mambo ni matatu, pack and go" approach could make investors wary of putting their money in Kenya.

"When companies make decisions about where to put their investments, the dispute resolution regime in place is key because disputes arise all the time. 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,” he said.

Sifuna, who is part of the Linda Mwananchi movement, said the opposition alliance would seek to restore adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law if it forms the next government after the 2027 General Election.

Tata Chemicals Magadi, a subsidiary of India's Tata Group, has operated in the Lake Magadi area for decades, producing soda ash and other salt and industrial mineral products from trona deposits.

Ruto ordered the company to leave Kenya on Thursday, accusing it of holding a licence for about a century without doing enough to create jobs or establish industries in Kajiado.

The President said the government would instead seek an investor who would establish glass and chemical manufacturing plants locally, create employment and ensure greater value is derived from Kenya's mineral resources.