Saturday, January 31, 2015

Registry’s secrecy must remain lest we repel investors

National Land Commission chairman Muhammad Swazuri (left), Land Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu and Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero after supervising the demotion of a wall erected by a land grabber. CS Charity Ngilu was quoted by one newspaper warning that if the President pushed her too far, she would “name the name behind the names” and tender her resignation. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP. 
By KWAMCHETSI MAKOKHA
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Last week’s public naming of the directors of Airport View Housing Limited, the company frustrated from developing the playground next Lang’ata Road Primary School, undermines Kenya’s reputation as an investment destination.
Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu had put the country on notice that should the President continue to pressurise her to reveal the identities of the investors, she would do so and resign.
When she unveiled the names of Mandip Singh Amrit, Manjit Singh Amrit, Harbans Singh Amrit and Kamal Prakash Amrit — all of P.O. Box 45403 GPO — it became apparent why naming investors was not such a good idea. The company’s official postal address is shared with a building and contracting firm in Nairobi to save subscription costs, but that is to be expected of internet imposters. After all, a London-based architectural firm also gives the family postal address as its own.
Considering that the Amrit Singhs had taken steps to share one postal address that was quite different from that given for Airport View Holdings when the company was registered on August 10, 1989 — long before postal codes came to Kenya — demonstrating a clear desire to separate family affairs from business, the gratuitous intrusion into their privacy was an unwarranted act of racial profiling, official discrimination.
EARLY DEATH
Certain types of business are so sensitive to sunshine that regular exposure could wilt them to an early death. Buying prime land off colonial companies in Nairobi’s Karen area, transacting delicate deals with nine-year-olds, supplying maize to government and leasing aircraft to high-profile travellers are not the kinds of business one undertakes under the spotlight of public scrutiny.
Given the level of security in Kenya, knowing everyone who owns something and the extent of their interest could place such individuals in harm’s way. There are, therefore, many companies at the government registry that voluntarily offer to pay their taxes without records, uphold the law and promote public good. For example, Mr Manjit Singh Amrit has been careful enough to be a director and shareholder of the company without owning a single share in it.
Kenya has always respected the anonymity of its benefactors, a trait that has attracted many investors such as the Amrit Singh family to not only invest but also do good for the community. Hand in hand with developing playgrounds, the family also established the Amrit Foundation in response to the strife and suffering of communities and particularly children across the country.
A product of the family’s generosity was evident in police giving pupils of Lang’ata Primary a taste of tear gas as part of early life lessons on what is likely to occur should they choose to join thoughtless demonstrations.
UPSET THE PRESIDENT
According to the organisation’s website, its founders work on a social venture philanthropy model that promotes zero tolerance to corruption and misappropriation within the Foundation — something that must have exercised Mrs Ngilu’s mind considerably before naming the Airport View proprietors.
Given the Amrit profile, and its extensive philanthropy in four schools in Kenya, it is understandable why naming any of its members in relation to the development of a playground would upset the President and force a Cabinet Secretary to resign.
Excessive transparency that allows people to poke their noses into company registries is just the kind of behaviour that undermines economic development and keeps many companies backward.
Instead of thinking about the next project, investors would be busy explaining themselves on television about crimes that have not yet been committed. The secrecy of the company registry must remain sacrosanct, or investors will start leaving in droves.
kwamchetsi@formandcontent.co.ke

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