Trade Exhibitors are calling on the Kenya Export Promotion Council and Branding Agency (KEPROBA) Board to ensure fairness in the selection of SME’s who will represent the Country during trade Expo’s.
They called on the Board to do more to boost trade.
Several Exhibitors who talked to Hot News said they are happy KEPROBA is going to have a new CEO soon.
They want KEPROBA to select 10 companies across the sectors every month and after the EXPO, 80-100 Manufacturers and SMEs will have attended the EXPO like in Japan and Spain in the past years.
The next EXPO is the Dubai 2020 EXPO which will take place in 20 October and may be moved to next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The exhibitors faulted the selection process and want it cancelled.
“The minister and the PS should have their representatives in these committees and Corrupt staff should be removed from these committee of the EXPO,” they said.
An Exhibitor who spoke to Hot News on condition of anonymity said in the early 90’s, and 2000’s they used to be well served by the Export Promotion Council.
“As the years went on, corruption crept in and opportunities diminished,” he said.
The exhibitor said that most of them are always locked out during the mini expos.
“In the past, we used to pay shs 20,00-30,000 as the Expo fees. Nowadays, we are asked to pay as high as shs 500,000. When we fail, those in charge of the Expo’s select their wives, uncles, girlfriends and other relatives to go and Exhibit. They buy goods from Maasai Market and fly them to the Expo’s,” he said.
The Exhibitor complained that during last year’s Expo in Beijing China, the Kenya stand remained empty because Exhibitors were unable to pay the high fees that were charged.
He said during the 2017 Kazakhztan Expo, some officials from KEPROBA dished out the chances to their cronies because most Exhibitors could not afford the shs 500,000 certification fee.
They now want the New Trade PS Johnson Weru to be the Commissioner General of EXPO’s so that Accreditation Letters (these are visa documents) are given without discrimination.
They also said there should be a change of KEPROBA staff who deal with the EXPO’s so that corruption is eliminated.
ALSO READ:Not True, there was no attempt to embezzle shs 7 million at EPC, Brand Kenya- staff