Upan Wasana EPZ Ltd says the EPZ investors in the manufacturing sector, particularly the apparel manufacturers, are shocked and motionless to see a news item appearing in the Standard, Thursday 18,2007, "Closing in on EPZs" which will be embarked from this month as per the Trade and Industry Minister. However, the news item doesn't say on what basis, whether by request or by force! It says Government will close down all EPZs in Nairobi and relocate them to Mombassa.
The questions that must be answered by the Minster are;
1. Is it possible, so easy and practicable to expect the investors to close down their large factories with several hundred workforce overnight and re-locate to Mombassa ?
2. What about the EPZ companies, already having their manufacturing units in their own land and building? Are they expected to write off their investments in the land, building and other factory infrastructures and re-locate?
3. What about the thousands of EPZ employees from Nairobi, their families and their children's education who will become destitute if factories are relocated?
4. What about the losses that companies shall incur during the re-location period which shall take months to accomplish?
5. What about the cost of re-location which might run into millings of shillings to re-locate even small and medium sized manufacturing unit?
Already, some of the existing investors in the apparel sector, it has been told, are thinking of relocating their factories to other African Countries where they are said to be encouraged more and offered many incentives, These investors shall no longer wait to pack-up their bags and new more investors shall join them after reading the breaking news of factory relocation.
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