The government, on Tuesday evening, denounced a rant by Starehe Member of Parliament Charles Njagua, popularly known as Jaguar, after he threatened to forcefully evict all foreigners from his constituency.
On Monday, a video of the MP threatening to round up all foreign traders operating in Nairobi and march them to the airport for deportation went viral capturing the attention of the Tanzanian government.
In the letter, the government reassured the foreigners doing business in the country of their safety and that of their properties.
They further denounced Jaguar's utterances stating that the state was already mitigating measures against them.
“We wish to state that this is not the position of the Government of the Republic of Kenya, and we denounce the comments carried in the video in the strongest terms possible.
“Such comments are unfortunate and have no place in today’s globalized environment. Kenyans are peace loving people who have over the years coexisted with others of different nationalities," read part of the letter that was signed by Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna.
The spokesperson further assured that Kenyans were peace-loving people and invited more foreign investors to come and exploit the country's resources.
"Kenyans are peace-loving people who have over the years coexisted with others of different nationalities. This is value that we cherish as a nation and wish to uphold.
"The government treats as serious the contents of the video and instituted mitigating measures," continued the letter.
In his defence, Jaguar argued that his utterances were taken out of context and that he meant Chinese traders who had invaded Kenyan markets.
"My sentiments echoed yesterday with a directive to CS Matiang’i was meant for the Chinese who have invaded our markets making businesses almost unbearable for our citizens. I am not against any regional unions that are meant to promote both local and regional trade," he clarified.
On Tuesday, Tanzanian Speaker of Parliament Job Ndugai ordered his government to promptly issue a statement on the safety of their nationals in Kenya after the MP made the rant.
“I order the government to issue a statement before the close of business today (Tuesday),” proclaimed Ndugai who termed the remark as xenophobic.
