Kenya Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Richard Ngatia has secured the backing of delegates from the coast amid an intense campaign for leadership of the private sector’s leading lobby.
Battle lines were drawn after KNCCI Vice President Erick Ruto launched a bid to unseat his boss, Mr Ngatia, who is defending his seat.
Mr Ngatia got the backing of delegates from coastal counties of Tana River, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Lamu and Kilifi, and tapped Abdulwalli Sharrif as his running-mate for the national elections set for June 8.
“Your pledge to vote for me and Shariff is a demonstration of your commitment to make a difference together. I want to assure you that we will continue fighting tirelessly for our shared prosperity,” said Mr Ngatia in a statement after the endorsement.
County and regional elections have ended in most devolved units, paving the way for the election of the chamber’s president and vice president next month.
Mr Ngatia rose to the KNCCCI helm in 2019 following an uncontested election after his opponents pulled out a month to the exercise. He took over from Kiprono Kittony who is now the NSE chairman.
Besides the coastal counties, Mr Ngatia is banking on delegates from the Mount Kenya region, lower Rift Valley that includes Nakuru, Nyanza, and metropolitan Nairobi which covers Kajiado and Machakos.
Dr Ruto who is a medical doctor and businessman, has the backing of upper Rift Valley and sections of the western as he pushes for KNCCI's top job.
He launched a joint ticket with Mombasa businessman Mustafa Ramadhan, who is eyeing the vice president position. Eleven delegates from each county or 517 of them will vote for the leadership of KNCCI.
Under Ngatia’s tenure, KNCCI was at the forefront of supporting businesses to recover from Covid-19 economic hardships.
The chamber strengthened partnerships with both national and county governments as well as financial institutions and development partners such as the US development agency USaid.
The KNCCI membership has increased from 7,000 to over 60,000 members registered directly and another one million through associations since 2019.
Mr Ngatia was in January appointed to the World Chambers Federation (WCF) for a two-and-a-half-year term and became the first Kenyan to sit on the council of the powerful lobby.
