Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 111 to 120 of 154.

• 20 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to announce that we have come up with a proposal of a rescue plan which is agreeable to all the stakeholders; from suppliers, landlords, workers, shareholders and creditors and it is my feeling that subject to confirmation by the Cabinet this week, it should be possible for some of the branches to be already open within a week. view
• 20 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to finish by making the following statement: That while we are encouraged by this enthusiasm, there are some companies which are fighting the revival of Uchumi Supermarkets Limited. I have received letters from Tesco Corporation and a second letter from the Managing Director of Nakumatt Limited which are insulting to me. The Managing Director of Nakumatt Limited is writing to me asking that if I have so much money available, I donate Kshs2 billion to Nakumatt Limited as well. view
• 20 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, since there is no time, I just want to say the following: Nakumatt Limited has not been playing by fair rules and I want to request the Attorney-General of this country to investigate why, four years ago, the courts barred the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and Weights and Measures from inspecting the merchandise being sold by Nakumatt Limited. Up to now, this Government cannot guarantee on the quality of the products being consumed through Nakumatt Limited. They should be the last ones to start making cynical remarks about the attempts to revive a national brand. Thank ... view
• 13 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: I am sorry, Mr. Speaker, Sir, that I was not present when the Question was asked for the first time. But I was consulting with the Questioner and I told him that since I have a comprehensive Ministerial Statement concerning the collapse of Uchumi Supermarkets, with the indulgence of the Chair, I would request that I make that statement and the Chair allows the hon. Member and the one who had requested for the Ministerial Statement to seek for any clarification regarding the Ministerial Statement. view
• 13 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to issue the following Ministerial Statement regarding the circumstances of the collapse of Uchumi Supermarkets Ltd. Uchumi Supermarkets Company Ltd. was incorporated as a private company on the 17th of December, 1975. On its incorporation, the Government had a total of 51.5 per cent of the shareholding through ICDC--- view
• 13 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir. At inception, Uchumi Supermarkets Ltd. was 51.5 per cent owned by the Government through 24.9 per cent shareholding by Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation Investment (ICDCI), Kenya Wine Agencies Ltd. (KWAL) 18.8 per cent and ICDC, 7.8 per cent. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Uchumi Supermarkets Ltd. was the largest locally-owned supermarket chain in the country, at one time operating 28 branches distributed across the land. It provided an outlet to Kenya's small-scale farmers, manufacturers and created direct employment for more than 1,000 Kenyans. The company had grown to be seen as a symbol of ... view
• 13 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have been operating between a rock and a hard place; my desire to nurture Uchumi as a Kenyan enterprise and the limits put on me by law as a minority shareholder in the company, inspite of my desire to nurture the public interest. Faced with this reality in late 2004, I convened a meeting in my boardroom with the principle creditors of Uchumi Supermarkets, members of the board and the management at that time. We deliberated on what is the best way to avoid it going under. We agreed on a number of actions as a ... view
• 13 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. That far it might appear objective, but what has raised much concern is the following: Although the business of Uchumi Supermarkets has been struggling, I am not satisfied with the speed, substance and transparency, if any, that were displayed in the process of winding it down. The closure was done in a record period of one week, with key players being kept totally in the dark. As the Minister concerned, my key representative on its board is the Managing Director of ICDC. He never informed me or sought my opinion on what was going on ... view
• 13 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I will take the issues as they come. I started with a preamble that one of the limiting factors in my ability to do anything, particularly making radical decisions about Uchumi Supermarkets, was the fact that, as of the time that it collapsed, the Government shareholding was less than 10 per cent. Therefore, it was not an organization under my Ministry. It was not a parastatal. Secondly, it is broad Government policy that has been put in the public domain that the Government is de-investing from commercial enterprises. Parastatals which are of the nature of ... view
• 13 Jun 2006 in National Assembly: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. So, there are two reasons as to why the Government did not purchase more equity in Uchumi Supermarkets. One, it was a deliberate Government policy, which is still on-going now, to get itself out of commercial enterprises and pass it on to Kenyans through the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Therefore, that was part of the decision. Secondly, we were looking up to the private market to raise a contribution through the shares issue in order to beef up the process to make it operational again. Those are the issues that I explained. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as ... view