The country stands to lose Sh2.9 billion from the manufacturing sector every day if the ongoing protests against the high cost of living persist.
The sector contributes at least Sh1 trillion to the economy every year according to the latest economic survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) says the chaos witnessed in past protests led by the opposition coalition, Azimio La Umoja has disrupted the supply chain, hurting the core business of manufacturers.
The lobby's chairman Rajan Shah told journalists that the impact goes beyond the economy as lives have been lost, injuries recorded and livelihoods cut.
"These protests are hurting our members, employees and the general public as they are disrupting production of goods. They are actually likely to tamper with supply and demand, aggravating the high cost of living,'' Shah says.
He appealed for a political consensus between the government and the opposition, adding that the chaos witnessed is eroding the fertile investment climate.
"No investor wants to put money in a burning country. This is actually hurting our goal to grow manufacturing contribution to the economy by threefold to 20 per cent by 2025,'' Shah said.
The lobby said it is ready to join the negotiation table with the political class as it speaks on behalf of both SMEs and large firms that account for over 70 per cent of jobs created in the country.
KAM directors called for an urgent back-to-work solution to avert further social and economic turmoil.
