KNCCI Mombasa chapter chair Aboud Jamala in his office on July 9, 2025 / BRIAN OTIENO

Frequent protests and demonstrations that paralyse business are a loss to the economy, Mombasa business community has said.

They said tension that comes with protests causes loss of opportunities and reduce man hours in businesses and at work.

For the past four weeks, Kenya has witnessed protests from different parts of the county over governance issues.

The Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry Mombasa chapter chairman Aboud Jamal said investors always look at a number of factors before deciding to invest in a particular country or region. These include, political stability, security and growth projections.

“Protests are everywhere in the world. But the extent plays a big role in the perception of a country. A country that is seen to have security issues or some kind of instability will never attract an investor,” Jamal said.

He said most investors will look at the long-term repercussions before injecting their money.

Jamal said the image a country portrays is key to luring potential investors.

“We need to be very careful with how we portray Kenya. Let us exercise our rights, as patriotic Kenyans, in ways that will not cause violent conflict with the government," he said.

“We must also consider our safety, the safety of our fellow Kenyans, our neighbours, our businesses and businesspeople. Let us not lose property and investments because of protests."

The chairman said protests need not to lead to loss of lives, injuries and destruction of properties.

Investment in the country has generally gone down and even though Mombasa witnessed minimal protests on Saba Saba Day, the repercussions were felt, Jamal said.

“Yesterday, I was with a prominent manufacturer who feeds the country and he told me even though Mombasa was relatively calm, the tension in the community forced him to shut down his business for safety,” he said.

If the manufacturer, who also distributes food stuff across the country, closes shop, it is the same protestors who will suffer because of lack of food and work, Jamal said.

He urged Kenyans to use peaceful means to express themselves.

“It is not a must that we go to the streets and be violent for the government to listen to us. There are other equally effective ways of getting our voices heard. Dialogue is one of them,” Jamal said.

He also called on political leaders not to incite Kenyans, especially the youth, to violence, and instead preach peace.

The chairman called out the opposition leaders, who have called for boycott of products from companies linked to politicians allied to the Kenya Kwanza regime.

He said the statements made by politicians might incite the youth.

“I always say, let business issues be addressed by businesspeople. Anytime you mix politics with business, there will be problems,” he said.

Instant Analysis:

In Murang’a county alone, an estimated Sh500 million worth of business was lost to Monday’s Saba Saba protests,  Murang’a County Business Forum chairperson James Waweru said. Nationwide, an estimated Sh18 billion was lost due to the shutdown that occurred in 17 counties.