Kenya’s moves to tighten immigration and local hiring requirements reflect the government’s attempt to protect jobs and economic opportunities for its citizens, according to ARISE News Analyst Dayo Sobowale.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE News on Wednesday, Dayo Sobowale said the measures should be understood within the broader context of governments prioritising the economic interests of their citizens.
“It’s economic policy.”
Sobowale said the Kenyan government’s position is also tied to the political fortunes of its leaders, who must respond to citizens’ concerns over employment and economic opportunities.
“You have to tie it to political future or political fate of political leaders. They have to make their people comfortable, employed, for them to enjoy the goodwill that will make them re-electable.”
He cautioned against reducing Kenya’s immigration measures to xenophobia, arguing that doing so oversimplifies the economic and political considerations behind the policy.
“If you keep on calling it xenophobia, you pejorate it. You turn a complex issue into a catch-all.”
Sobowale also stated that while African countries belong to regional bodies, individual states retain authority over matters within their territories.
“The union is not a mass union. It’s a union of sovereign states, a confederation. Each sovereign state has control over its matters.”
Ojo Triumph
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