Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Korir Sing'oei sided with China Square owner Lei Cheng following the spat involving Trade Cabinet Secretary (CS) Moses Kuria.
In a statement issued on Sunday, February 26, Sing'ori told Cheng not to be concerned by the calls by Kuria to buy out his lease at the Uni City Mall and hand it over to local traders.
He assured the Chinese investor that provided that he acquired the licenses legally, then there was no cause for alarm.
"No lawful investment actor - irrespective of their nationality - should be apprehensive because the country's investment regime is non-arbitrary and non-discriminatory," the PS stated.
Sing'oei's response came just days after Kuria had indicated that China Square was unfairly competing with local traders.
Kuria questioned how Cheng was awarded a work permit in the country, stating that he should have been enlisted as a manufacturer and not a trader.
On the flip side, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei defended CS Kuria from the backlash that arose following his demands and called for the revocation of the dealer's license.
"The core business of government is protectionism measures of local businesses first before foreign businesses. China has created a dumping ground for their substandard goods in Africa it must stop," Cherargei stated.
City lawyer Ahmednasir Abdulahi condemned the pronouncements by Kuria whom he accused of double speak since he was synonymous for pushing for the opening up of the Kenyan market to investors.
On February 26, Cheng announced that the mega store had been closed indefinitely to make adjustments to fit the desired customer experienced.
China Square explained that it was unable to handle the large number of customers trooping into their mega store due to their competitive prices.
The management added that the number of tills at the shop limited the number of clients who can be served hence long queues at the payment points.
Operated by Cheng, the mall gained popularity due to the fact that it offered easier access to goods which Kenyans would have otherwise been forced to buy from local markets.
