Why strategic assets must never be put on auction

Some things in a nation’s life should never be joked about. They are not just bricks, mortar, and steel; they are lifelines, arteries through which the country’s economic and social existence flows.

In Kenya, these include our airports, ports, energy infrastructure, and strategic utilities. Yet, disturbingly, these very installations are increasingly being dangled in the marketplace as if they were dispensable household items. 

We have seen attempts to sell or concession the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). We have witnessed debates over the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). And now, the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC).

A national jewel that pumps the fuel driving our economy is on the table. Parliament has already approved plans for privatization, with the government set to retain a mere 35 per cent stake. Allegations swirl that a Nigerian businessman, linked by marriage to a powerful political figure, is eyeing control. 

This is not just about business. It is about sovereignty. Airports, seaports, and energy pipelines are not ordinary commercial enterprises. They are strategic assets. They control the flow of goods, people, and energy. Whoever controls them controls the heartbeat of the nation. 

JKIA is East Africa’s busiest airport, a hub not just for passengers but also for cargo and logistics. KPA manages Mombasa and Lamu ports, the gateways for more than 90 per cent of our imports and exports. KPC transports petroleum products across the country, ensuring that our vehicles, industries, and power plants do not grind to a halt. 

These are not enterprises to be casually privatised. They are instruments of national security. In war, crisis, or economic shock, they determine whether Kenya stands or falls. 

Governments often justify privatization as a way of raising revenue, improving efficiency, or attracting foreign investment. But the question we must ask is: at what cost? 

Selling off airports, ports, or pipelines is not the same as privatising a struggling hotel or a redundant state factory. These assets are profitable, strategic, and central to national stability. Their control can not be ceded to private interests, domestic or foreign, whose primary motivation is profit.

In fact, in many developed nations, such assets remain firmly under state control. The U.S. government does not sell off its airports to private investors. China’s ports are tightly state-managed.

Even in Europe, where privatization is common, core energy and transport infrastructure are either state-owned or tightly regulated to preserve sovereignty. Why then should Kenya, a developing country with fragile institutions, rush to auction its crown jewels? 

The allegation that a Nigerian businessman with political connections is eyeing KPC raises legitimate fears of state capture. This is how nations lose their independence. Not in dramatic invasions, but in quiet boardroom deals where strategic assets are transferred into the hands of a few.

Imagine a scenario where a foreign-linked entity controls Kenya Pipeline. It would mean that the flow of petroleum, the lifeblood of our economy, could be manipulated for profit or political leverage. Fuel shortages, price spikes, or supply disruptions could be orchestrated not by global oil shocks but by the whims of private shareholders.

Similarly, if JKIA or KPA falls under private or foreign control, Kenya risks becoming a tenant in its own house. Every imported good, every exported crop, every traveller passing through would be at the mercy of private interests. This is not efficiency. It is economic suicide. 

The fact that our Members of Parliament have approved such privatizations without broad public consultation is a betrayal. The Constitution places sovereignty in the hands of the people. Strategic decisions affecting national assets should not be reduced to parliamentary arithmetic swayed by executive influence or lobbying. 

By passing privatization laws without robust debate, MPs have effectively signed away Kenya’s economic independence. The irony is that these same leaders will return to their constituencies during campaigns and proclaim themselves defenders of the people. Yet, when it mattered most, they chose to defend vested interests.

 Kenya must draw a clear red line around certain installations. These include: 

1. Airports (JKIA, Moi International, Kisumu, Eldoret) critical to national security, trade, and tourism. 
2. Ports (Mombasa, Lamu, Kisumu) lifelines of our regional trade. 
3. Kenya Pipeline Company. The sole conduit of petroleum products nationwide.
4. Kenya Power and KenGen, control over electricity generation and distribution must remain in national hands. 
5. National water and sanitation infrastructure water is life; its control can not be ceded. 

These are assets that define Kenya’s sovereignty. They are not for sale. Kenya’s future can not be mortgaged to satisfy the short-term revenue needs of a government or the profit appetite of private investors. Privatization of strategic assets is not reform; it is surrender. 

Citizens must raise their voices. Civil society, unions, professional associations, and ordinary Kenyans must demand accountability. Our Constitution allows for public participation, petitions, and litigation.

If Parliament cannot defend the national interest, the people themselves must step in. The late Tanzanian President John Magufuli, when confronted with similar pressures to privatize ports and power utilities, famously declared: “You cannot sell your mother. You protect her.” Kenya must adopt the same posture. 

The sale of strategic assets is not just bad economics. It is a dangerous gamble with Kenya’s sovereignty. JKIA, KPA, and KPC are more than corporations; they are national lifelines. Once sold, they can not be reclaimed. 

The question is simple: Are we selling assets, or are we selling Kenyans? History will not forgive a generation that allows its sovereignty to be auctioned off in the name of privatization.