More than a thousand Kenyan traders on Tuesday 28 February  protested in the capital Nairobi against a new Chinese-owned retail shop they accuse of undercutting them with ultra-low prices.

Traders in Kenya and other rapidly growing economies in Africa have protested periodically against their Chinese competitors.

The small-scale traders are protesting against what they say is the invasion by a foreign retail shop called China Square in downtown of Nairobi city.

However, Kenya’s relationship with China was in focus during last year’s presidential election, won by William Ruto and he promised to publish government contracts with China agreed under his predecessor and to deport Chinese nationals working illegally.

The Kenyan traders have been angered by a newly opened China Square retail shop on the outskirts of Nairobi, whose prices for everyday goods like curtains imported from China are on average 50% cheaper than those brought in by local traders.

Dressed in dust coats used in their retail outlets, the traders marched to the office of the deputy president and to parliament to submit a petition against the Chinese retailers.

The protesters were carrying sight post written “The Chinese cannot be importers, retailers, wholesalers and hawkers,” and some protesters chanted “Chinese must go!”

However, Trade Minister Moses Kuria has offered to take over China Square’s lease from its Chinese owner and hand it to local traders, but Korir Sing’oei, the principal secretary at Kenya’s ministry of foreign affairs, stressed on Twitter that all investors are welcome, irrespective of their nationality.

Wu Peng, the top Africa official at China’s ministry of foreign affairs welcomed Sing’oei’s assurance on Twitter.

China Square’s owner Lei Cheng told a local newspaper he was inspired to open the shop after finding the prices at a Nairobi supermarket to be exorbitant.

Meanwhile some Analysts in the country has said that the move could strain relations with China, Kenya’s biggest bilateral creditor, since such deals are generally kept confidential. Chinese officials did not comment on Ruto’s action.

China is Africa’s top trading partner and more than 1 million Chinese are estimated to reside on the continent.

copied from Reuters World News