How Our Love For Mediocrity is Killing Industries: The Rivatex Betrayal

Kenyans have perfected the art of rewarding mediocrity, and the slow death of Rivatex East Africa is a glaring example. Instead of demanding competence and strategic vision, we celebrate political appointees who run industries into the ground, then applaud when the same failures sell them off under the guise of “seeking a strategic investor.”

Rivatex, once a pillar of Kenya’s textile industry, is now a shell of its former self. Spinning operates at a dismal 5%, weaving at 8%, and processing at 7%—figures that expose the outright incompetence of those entrusted with its revival. But rather than fixing the mess, the government is offering the factory on a 21-year silver platter to an unnamed “investor.” The real tragedy? This so-called investor search is nothing more than a carefully orchestrated handover to a well-connected politician for a song.

This is not about efficiency or sustainability. It is about political elites looting an industry dry and then buying it back at a fraction of its worth. We have seen this script before—public assets deliberately mismanaged, run into near-collapse, and then sold to cronies under the pretext of “privatization.” The only winners here are the political cartels; the workers, the farmers, and the Kenyan economy all lose.

Rivatex’s death is not an accident—it is the product of our national culture of celebrating incompetence. We clap for unqualified CEOs, we turn a blind eye to mismanagement, and we act surprised when our industries collapse. Then, when the vultures move in to “rescue” the carcass, we call it “investment.”

Kenyans must wake up. The theft of Rivatex is happening in broad daylight. If we allow this, we will have no industries left—just memories and regrets.

Read Also: Low Production of Cotton Main Cause of Rivatex Woes