from Judy Miriga
Folks,
Kenya’s Vision 2030 Conference in Washington DC
Kenya’s Blue print plan and strategy for vision 2030 Conference in Washington DC from 8th to 9th October 2011, has varying diverse views, opinions and comments we feel obliged to share.
I am happy the Diaspora have been identified in the Conference talk as potential wealth confidence behind investors risk and profit management for success, growth and progress. Although I did not attend, I was briefed and updated on the going-ons……..people gave comments such like, the conference was good but needed refinement, others said it was good but lacked fine-tuned and yet others felt it was a flop because it did not engage exhaustively as was expected, yet others just felt it was good because it was well attended. Taking the negative side specifically so after many spend money travelling long distances to the forum, but were not granted audience as expected. Some attendees had their speeches well prepared and were given less or no time to give out their speeches.
From critical thinking, the vision 2030 is a good idea that should be left bare to be dissected and be criticized thoroughly before we are sure all interests of shareholders, beneficiaries, stakeholders and middle class Society are guaranteed and are fairly taken care-of across strategic thinking for sustainable development agenda. We must be sure politicians are not eyeing Diaspora funding for campaign purposes or for self interests rather than public community partnership Agenda. Corruption, Impunity and Graft is still common-place in Kenya and this is a serious scare in the minds of many. Drastic changes must take effect before economic stability can be realized. Corrupt suspect leaders in the likes of Prof. Sam Ongeri is still in control in the Government Ministry and Wetangula was recently brought back in the Foreign Ministry at government system to continue to mismanage, loot public funds, resources, facilities and utilities.
Organized criminal gangs have been set loose by the government aimed at terrorizing innocent Citizens, while boarders have been left un-manned and Kenya Armed Forces kept in the Baracks from providing security to public…….only thugs are left roaming the streets……….Who want to invest where there is no security?…..It is business as usual. This is unacceptabl….
Private Sector investors alone are not the engine of growth if Common Sense Strategic Planning involving and engaging all stakeholders across the divide are not properly catered for and balanced. Partnership in both Private and Local Community must be defined by the Government Blue Print clearly. Who to engage and How to implement employment and job creation within any community establishment is to be formalized, must equally be clearly strategized and defined in a measured timeframe, professional, skilled characteristics of present and future management and maintenance must be considered and tabled before public scrutiny, dialogue, discussion and reporting through accountability and transparency documentation.
It will defy logics if a repetition of public funds are channeled to suffice individual politically correct personalities connection and interests, taking for granted public interests, commitment and contribution of such as is seen in like fraudulent conspiracy in the occupation and ownership of Molasses, Dominion Farm Investment in Yala Swamp in Siaya, Osienala in South Nyanza, Lake Victoria Fishing, Migingo, Turkana, Isiolo, Nandi, Rift Valley, Kwale, Kilifi, Malindi, Mombasa Port, Lamu Port, Kenya Railways, National Kenya Petroleum Refineries, Cereal Board, Agricultural Farmers Funds, Women and Youth Funds, Educational Fund, Health Funds, Gas and Oil Business and Exploration, Armed Forces Funds, Roads and Environmental and many more others………. all these must face threshold of distribution incorporating and engaging Sectors in Sub-sections of public division of labour across National public domain.
Many Kenyan Diaspora complain that they are seen and treated as strangers and foreigners in their own land by the Kenya Government institutions and leaders, whenever they visit Kenya. It is high time they should be recognized and treated as partners in development. There are many Kenyans in Diaspora who left Kenya under unceremonious circumstances, some are professionals highly educated and are marginalized pushed to the corner yet are so potential to economic development programs in Kenya, and some were terrorized under sinister political motivations, yet others were terminated and left to perish or die under dubious circumstances or being branded security risks……but were welcomed and found opportunity abroad.
How would the Government of Kenya relate to such potential manpower resource consideration for Partnership Development mission agenda? Are the Diaspora members recognized in discrimination by Kenya Government Mission? How will Kenya Government Mission move forward with Diaspora Agenda as a success story under conspiracy of divide and rule logistic methodology? Before all reckoning forces of Diaspora are recognize, there is no silver bullet, Kenya’s Economy investment will remain wishful thinking a ‘Ponzi Scheme’, however renowned scholars stay on board the development Agenda, it is a muddled corrupt and unscrupulous political scheme.
We all know Kenya’s economy is in its lowest, Kenya Government must be open to dialogue transparently, accept mistakes and adjust to Reform Agenda. There is no short-cut. The New Constitution must be implemented as is in bulk, other details to follow. It is crucial that Devolution must be enacted now and cannot wait to be delayed another day. It is in this New Constitution that Reform Agenda for Checks and balances will provide a Blue Print for fast tracking sustainable development which will improve Kenya’s economy which is in the gutter.
Poverty in Kenya and Africa has been over the years, Politically Motivated using “Intellectual Property Thieving” by politically correct networking cartels, a mission motivated to impoverish, push to extreme poverty and displacement of innocent community family members from their communal settlement lands ownership and corrupting stakeholders through organized gang crimes, mostly during political electioneering. This has to stop and must stop now, if a New Beginning is truly sought from Diaspora Society.
Yours Truly,
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
– – – – – – – – – – –
Kenyans in US set for Vision 2030 meet
By admin on October 6, 2011 in News, World
By Admin
President Mwai Kibaki flanked by Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Minister for Planning Wycliffe Oparanya unveils the Vision 2030 Logo. PHOTO/ FILE
More than 500 Kenyans living in North America have registered for a conference this weekend on ways to help their homeland achieve the Vision 2030 goals.
Organised by Kenya’s US embassy, the meeting in Washington will be addressed on Saturday by Chief Justice Willy Mutunga as well as by leading Kenyan scholars Calestous Juma, of Harvard University, and Ali Mazrui, a professor at the State University of New York.
Mugo Kibati, director of the Vision 2030 Secretariat, will speak on the Diaspora’s current and potential contributions to development initiatives in Kenya.
Some of the Kenyans gathering in Washington will likely not be pleased about Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s recent rejection of a proposal to create a Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.
Speaking last month in the US state of Minnesota, Mr Odinga said the central government is already too large. He noted, too, that the Constitution puts a cap on the number of government ministries.
However, the PM pledged to strengthen the Diaspora unit within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A background paper prepared by the Kenyan embassy says that the conference seeks to “ensure that the Diaspora remains engaged in the development of Kenya — from remittances to investment and entrepreneurship.”
The embassy estimates that Kenyans in North America accounted for 56 percent of the $70 million in remittances from Kenyans abroad in April. Kenyans residing in other countries sent home a total of $642 million last year, according to the embassy.
The background paper suggests that as many as 600,000 Kenyans currently live in the United States. A recent study by a Washington-based research institute using US Census data puts the number of Kenyan immigrants to the United States at about 87,000.
Source: Nation media
Kenya launches Vision 2030
June 11, 2008
Written by kenyanobserver, in NEWS HEADLINES
6 Comments
Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki launched vision 2030 yesterday. The event was overshadowed by news of a plane carrying Roads minister Kipkalya Kones and assistant minister Lorna Laboso crashing near Narok yesterday killing both of them and the crew.So what is Vision 2030 anyway? Here’s an official explanation;
Kenya Vision 2030 is the new country’s development blueprint covering the period 2008 to 2030. It aims at making Kenya a newly industrializing, middle income country providing high quality life for all its citizens by the year 2030.
How will this goal be achieved?
The government plans to achieve this in 6 key sectors;
1. TOURISMSummary: Tourism will be a leading sector in achieving the goals of the vision. Kenya aims to be among the 10 long haul tourist destinations in the world offering a high-end, diverse, and distinctive visitor experience that few of her competitors can offer.
2. INCREASING VALUE IN AGRICULTURESummary: Kenya will raise incomes in agriculture, livestock and fisheries by processing and thereby adding value to her products before they reach the market. She will do so in a manner that enables producers to compete with the best in other parts of the world.
3. A BETTER AND MORE INCLUSIVE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE SECTORSummary: The 2030 vision for wholesale and retail trade is to move towards greater efficiency in the country’s marketing system. It will raise the market share of products sold through formal channels (e.g. supermarkets) from the current 5% to 30% by 2012.
4. MANUFACTURING FOR THE REGIONAL MARKETSummary: Kenya aims to become the provider of choice for basic manufactured goods in eastern and central Africa. This will be done through improved competitiveness in manufacturing in order to promote efficiencies, to be done in partnership with the Government.
5. BUSINESS PROCESS OFF SHORING (BPO)Summary: This is a new but promising sector to Kenya and especially to its young people. It involves providing business services via the internet to companies and organizations in the developed world, e.g. Britain, USA, Canada, etc. The 2030 vision for business process outsourcing is for Kenya to quickly become one of the top three BPO destinations in Africa.
6. FINANCIAL SERVICESSummary: The 2030 vision for financial services is to have a vibrant and globally competitive financial sector driving high-levels of savings and financing Kenya’s investment needs. As part of its macro-economic goals, savings and investment rates will rise from 17% to 30% of GDP. This will be achieved through measures that include increasing of bank deposits from 44% to 80% of GDP and reducing the cost of borrowed capital, i.e. interest rates.
For more information, please visit these sites;
Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030
National Economic & Social Council of Kenya
Kenyans in the US Hold A Highly Successful Conference in Washington, DC
By Admin | Sun, 10/09/2011 07:48PM -0400
About 550 Kenyans from all over the United States held a highly successful conference this weekend in Washington, DC. Organized by the Kenyan Embassy in Washington with help from the Kenyan Diaspora community, the theme of the conference was “Identifying Opportunities for Diaspora Under Vision 2030” and was also attended by a large delegation of senior government and corporate officials from Kenya.
The conference, held from Saturday October 8th and ending on Sunday, October 9th covered several topics of concern to the diaspora, including the new Constitution and Dual Citizenship, how Kenyans can participate in Vision 2030 projects, investing in real estate, employment opportunities in Kenya for the diaspora, among others.
The conference also offered a unique opportunity for Kenyans from all over the US to network and exchange ideas on their careers, businesses and other aspects of their lives.
New Constitution and Dual Citizenship
Hon. Richard Onyonka, an Assistant Minster in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivered the keynote address and emphasized on the commendable role the that approximate 3 million Kenyans in the diaspora have played in their mother country. He reminded Kenyans that the new Constitution, which was promulgated last year, offers among other things dual citizenship, and also allows those who lost their Kenyan citizenship by becoming citizens of other countries under the old Constitution to regain their Kenyan citizenship.
Hon. Onyonka, himself a former Diasporan who attended University in the US, said the Foreign Affairs Ministry along with the Ministry of Labor will work on signing bilateral agreements with foreign countries to make sure Kenyans abroad are accorded fair working rights. This will be as a means of avoiding situations such as the recent ones of Kenyans being mistreated and denied their basic working rights by their employers in Middle East countries. He also reported that Kenyans in the diaspora have been requesting for Diaspora Advisory Council within the Foreign Affairs Ministry that will handle matters of the Diaspora and said the government will be looking into this.
Concluding his speech, Hon Onyonka stressed the need for Kenyans living abroad to speak as one voice and to make good use of the various services available at Kenyan missions abroad.
Charles Nyachae, the chairman on the Constitution Implementation Committee (CIC), called on the diaspora to use the power of the Diaspora to push for the full implementation of the Constitution, and to read and familiarize themselves with the whole Constitution.
Regina Njogu, one of the panelists and an attorney in Washington, DC, cautioned Kenyans who were re-applying for their Kenyan citizenship and hence becoming dual citizens to tread carefully to make sure they do not break citizenship laws of either country. As an example, she provided an example of a clause in the US constitution that states that US citizens who hold senior policy positions in foreign governments may lose their US citizenship.
Vision 2030
Speaking on Vision 2030, its meaning, goals and progress was Mugo Kibati, Vision 2030 Director General. He described Vision 2030 as a multi-year development plan that was launched by the Kenyan government in 2008 that aims to make Kenya a middle-income country by the year 2030, where every Kenyan citizen will have a high quality of life. To achieve this goal, there will be need to have a well-developed nationwide infrastructure (such as roads, rail, ports, electricity, and airports), free primary and secondary education for all, and an accountable and transparent issue-based political system. Kibati said that to achieve the vision, the country would need to grow at a rate of 10% per year for most of the next 20 years. Kibati reported that some of the projects that are part of this plan that are already underway. An example is Thika Road, which is expected to be complete soon, and Konza City, whose development is currently underway.
Kibati proposed that the Diaspora could participate in this vision through direct investment of financing, as well as through their ideas and technical expertise. Responding on why most of these projects were being contracted to foreign companies, Kibati said there was a fair and open tender system, and that the contracts awarded to foreign companies are the major multi-billion dollar projects that no local companies currently have the capability to undertake. He urged for a need for the country’s contractors to merge so as to have the capacity to work on such huge projects. He also said there are other smaller contracts that are parts of these projects that have been awarded to local companies.
Dr. Eng. Cyrus Njiru, PS in the Ministry of Transport, highlighted the various projects under his ministry that were both in the planning phase as well as already underway. These include the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Corridor Project, which will involve building of a port, an oil refinery and a pipeline in Lamu, as well as a road network from Lamu to South Sudan and Ethiopia. He said due to the massive size of the project, this would be a perfect opportunity for Kenyans living abroad to invest and bid on some of the contracts through Public Private Partnership.
Education and Research
Prof Ali Mazrui, a distinguished writer, Professor and Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at Binghamton University, said Kenyans abroad should have a huge impact on Kenya’s development through sharing their idea, work ethics and expertise learned abroad with the academic institutions back in Kenya.
Prof Mazrui urged the education ministry to offer programs that are modeled to the Kenyan culture and heritage, rather than focusing most of programs modeled to Western cultures. He caused huge applause when he said challenged Kenyan men to work harder, saying Kenyans women have been more hardworking than men. He caused another applause when he described Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, as the most powerful black man in the history of human civilization.
Prof Calestous Juma, a distinguished Professor at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, called on Kenyan Universities to focus not just on teaching but on research as well, saying they would become more competitive in the global stage and help in Vision 2030. He said most international NGOs such as USAID choose to work with research institutions in Kenya such as KARI since Kenyan universities do not have research programs.
He further proposed that the government in partnership with the different universities should look into opening campuses in various states/cities in the diaspora with huge populations of Kenyans. He said this would help in making Kenyan universities more visible on the global stage. He cited an example of University of Singapore, which has different campuses around the world in countries with high populations of Singapore immigrants.
This session was chaired by Prof Mwangi Kimenyi, Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.
Investing in Real Estate in Kenya
Mr Tirop Kosgey, PS, Ministry of Housing along with other panelists presented a report on the state of the real estate market in Kenya, as well as how Kenyans in the Diaspora can invest in this booming and growing field. Mr Kosgey said that given the high rate at which the urban population is growing, the real estate market will only continue to grow, and there should be no fear of a crash in the market.
David Karangu, a businessman based in Atlanta, Georgia, described real estate as one of the best ways to build wealth. He urged Kenyans in the diaspora to take advantage of services such as those offered by the Housing Finance Corporation of Kenya to invest in real estate.
Employment Opportunities Available in Kenya for the Diaspora
Thomas Konditi, Chief Financial Officer, General Electric Africa (General Electric Africa is a division of America-based General Electric) described employment opportunities available in Kenya and the rest of Africa with General Electric Africa. He said General Electric Africa was expanding into Africa, and currently has 40 employees in its Kenya branch with the number expected to grow to about 100 within the next two years. He said this was a perfect opportunity especially for Kenyans abroad in the Informational Technology careers, as GE as committed to giving employment opportunities to native Kenyans living abroad with the right qualifications rather than hiring expatriates. Mr. Konditi urged Kenyans in the Diaspora to apply for these positions, available both in Kenya as well as in other African countries such as Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda where GE is also creating presence. According to Mr. Konditi, GE currently has projects in Africa in various fields: aviation, medicine (through manufacture of medical equipment), and energy, among others.
Reception in Honor of the Late Prof Wangari Maathai
Ambassador Dr Josephine Ojiambo, Deputy Permanent Representative Kenya Mission to the United Nations, New York, led the conference attendees in observing a minute of silence in honor of the Late Prof Wangari Maathai, who passed away last weekend and was laid to rest this weekend. Dr Ojiambo described Prof Maathai said Kenya had a lost a true heroin and patriot. A slideshow highlighting Prof Maathai’s life was played for the attendees as well.
Kenyan Athletes Honored
H.E. Elkanah Odembo, Kenya’s Ambassador to the US, took time to honor Kenyan athletes, who he described as “real Kenyan ambassadors” abroad. He honored Kenyans who excelled in the Chicago marathon on Sunday, Oct 6 where Kenya’s Moses Mosop won in course record time. Second and third spots were also taken by Kenyans. Ambassador Odembo said Kenyan athletes have played a huge role over many years in marketing Kenya abroad.
Other Speakers
Among other speakers at the Conference included other Permanent Secretaries in the Kenyan government, senior officers of various Kenyan Missions in the US, senior officials of various corporations in Kenya (Equity Bank, Postbank, Cooperative Insurance Group), various high rankings professors and professionals who work in the US, as well as top businessmen/women and heads of various non-profit organizations.
Conference Closing Remarks
In the Conference’s closing remarks, Thuita Mwangi (PS, Foreign Affairs),
Dr. Edward Sambili (PS, Ministry of Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, as well as H.E. Macharia Kamau (Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations), highlighted the following as the key and actions points that came out the 2-day conference:
The Kenyan government will finalize draft diaspora policy.
Need to enhance communication between diaspora and the Kenyan government.
Establish a one-stop shop for diaspora matters in Kenya, so that when Kenyans living abroad visit Kenya, they have quick access to all the information they need at one place.
Need for full realization of Diaspora rights in the constitution. Kenyans in Diaspora need to read and understand full constitution, not just the parts specifically on the Diaspora and Dual Citizenship.
Need for Diaspora to fully participate in investment in Kenya.
Make the Diaspora Conference an annual event.
Structures to enhance to enhance diaspora participation in Kenya.
Recommendations of conference should form part of diaspora policy.
— On Mon, 10/10/11, David ochwangi wrote:
Wakili Omwenga,
There is a reason you haven’t heard a beep about the Diaspora Conference. By the way I expected to see you, what happened man? Running away from me? Don’t worry, I won’t bite you, just sanitize and detox you of ODM..lol. Seriously though, I attended and I think the most value I got out of it was the networking and meeting/reconnecting with a lot of people. It was certainly exciting, met Dr. Matunda Nyanchama, Dr. John Maina (PM’s advisor for Diaspora affairs), hang out briefly with His Excellency Elkanah Odembo (Kenya) and His Excellency Macharia Kamau (UN), Prof. Mutua Makau (actually a great guy) and lots of folks. I give credit to H.E. Odembo for organizing the event and because it was the first of its kind, I will cut them some slack and not be overly critical of the event but suffice it to say it probably failed to meet many attendants expectations. There were too many plenary sessions which clearly cut into the substantive nature this discussion should have had. Speakers who flew in from far and wide in
cluding Kenya had less than ten minutes to make their presentations and even then, there was nothing new, (all the information is readly available online or elsewhere to anyone interested)we expected engagement and dialogue but that DID NOT happen. We were lectured and when question time came, were limited to not just 30 seconds per question but the answers were VERY VERY unsatisfactory. I am not even sure the panelists understood the questions or had a clear grasp of what they were being asked, there was clearly a disconnect. The show stopper was when people would line up to ask questions and stand for so long and the moderator would suddenly cut off questions, extremely ANNOYING and defeated the purpose for which we gathered, to engage. Also, some people who had failed to register online but travelled anyway were rudely turned away at the door even when there was plenty of space (excess capacity) in the room. The ambassador didn’t step in and fix the problem at the executive level as he should have and when
I brought it to his attention, his response was stunningly cavalier. I will also be reminisced if I didn’t point out that there were a disproportionately high number of government officers from the Prime Ministers Office, virtually every government official who spoke except perhaps the Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi was from the Prime Minister’s office, hardly a coincidence. Stay tuned folks. Be that as it may, hopefully they’ll get it right next time.
President Obama snubs Kenya’s diaspora conference
By Kevin J Kelley
Posted Sunday, October 9 2011 at 14:11
Washington DC
More than 500 US residents with a blood connection to Kenya gathered in Washington on Saturday in the first conference focused on the diaspora’s relationship with the homeland.
One particularly prominent figure was absent however: President Barack Obama.
Kenya’s US Ambassador Elkanah Odembo said organisers had invited Mr Obama, whose father was Kenyan, to attend the event.
The White House replied that the president’s schedule did not allow for such an appearance.
Ambassador Odembo added that “there had been talk Mrs Obama might join us.” But the First Lady also did not attend.
Although Mr Obama has made scant mention of Kenya since taking office, he does pay close attention to what is happening in the country, Ambassador Odembo said.
“He gets updated on a regular basis,” the ambassador said, noting that aides brief Mr Obama on major stories in the Daily Nation and Standard.
“We have a very good relationship with people in the White House,” Kenya’s envoy continued.
The embassy gets calls from high-ranking officials at least once a week, Mr Odembo said.
Two recent contacts followed the pipeline explosion in a Nairobi slum and the death of Wangari Maathai, the ambassador recounted.
Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Richard Onyonka, who was substituting as conference keynote speaker for Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, added at a press conference that he hoped President Obama would visit Kenya during the remaining 15 months of his first term.
Mr Onyonka added, however, that he knew of no plans for such a visit.
He had earlier told the gathering at a Washington hotel that Chief Justice Mutunga had been unable to make his scheduled appearance due to “extremely unavoidable circumstances.”
Also taking part in the conference were Dr Ali Mazrui, a world-renowned Kenya scholar who teaches in New York, and Calestous Juma, a professor at Harvard University.
Kenyans jam-pack Diaspora conference in DC
By Chris Wamalwa in USA
Hundreds of Kenyans living in the US, in a show of renewed interest in their motherland jam-packed a Washington DC hotel over the weekend to attend a Diaspora conference organised by the Kenya government through its embassy in Washington DC.
The Kenya Diaspora conference was convened specifically to help the Diaspora identify
A section of Kenyans who attended the Diaspora conference in Washington DC. Photo: Chris Wamalwa
investment opportunities that exist in Kenya’s economic blueprint popularly known as Vision 2030. Billed by the organisers as ‘one of a kind’, the hugely successful conference attracted an unprecedented number of Kenyans living in the USA.
At the close of business on Sunday afternoon, an estimated 1,000 people had passed through the registration and exhibition corridors though only about 500 had been allowed to officially register owing to the venue capacity.
“The main objective of bringing Kenyans to Washington, DC was to engage them with Kenya’s Vision 2030. The idea is that this is the blueprint, this is the strategy that Kenya has developed to take us to being a middle income, high income country by the year 2030”, said Elkanah Odembo, Kenyan ambassador to the US.
Mr Odembo said the Kenyan Diaspora estimated at 3 million-plus, possessing tremendous financial and human capital is poised to be the engine of Kenya’s development.
Vision 2030, launched in 2008 by the coalition government aims at transforming Kenya into a newly industrializing middle income country by providing a high quality of life for the citizens by the year 2030.
The launch of the vision was an ideal starting point to focus attention on what should be done to realize a prosperous Kenya.
“The Kenya government has identified Diaspora diplomacy as one of the pillars of our foreign policy and is deliberately doing everything possible to recognize the role they play national development.
Such meetings and events are meant to let the Diaspora know that we appreciate them and are willing to work with them”, said Richard Onyonka, Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister.
The clout of the Kenyan Diaspora has been on the rise since the diaspora became the country’s biggest donor with remittances far exceeding Foreign Direct Investment and Official Development Assistance from outside entities.
Addressing a press conference at the Diaspora forum in DC: From left Dr Edward Sambili Planning ministry, Thuita Mwangi PS Foreign Affairs, Richard Onyonka Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister, and Elkanah Odembo, Kenyan ambassador to the USA. Photo: Chris Wamalwa
Recent studies and World Bank reports indicate that Kenyans living abroad are remitting a staggering Sh150 billion home annually, and has become a key engine for economic growth.
The study by the World Bank for instance shows that 2.6 million Kenyans receive a total of $2 billion (Sh150 billion) annually from Kenyans in the Diaspora.
The amount is way above Central Bank of Kenya figures, which show Kenyans abroad sent home $609 million (Sh45.6 billion) last year down, from $611 million (Sh45.8 billion) in 2008.
Mugo Kibati of Vision 2030 secretariat said their mission in the US was to urge the Diaspora to leverage their connections with big businesses in the US to invest in Kenya.
“We appreciate diaspora remittances but we are also urging them to go beyond remittances by using the contacts they have wherever they work to invest in big projects. They have the capacity to do so”, said Kibati.
In the new constitution that was promulgated last year, dual citizenship and other democratic rights for the Diaspora are entrenched making the Diaspora a key component of Kenya’s political landscape.
John Maina who coordinates the Diaspora desk in the office of the Prime Minister says that the impact of the Diaspora will indeed be felt more clearly during the upcoming national elections.
“ We estimate that Kenyans in Diaspora who will be eligible to vote, that is those over 18 years are roughly 70 percent of the whole diaspora population now estimated at 3.1 million. This means that close to 2.8 million people in Diaspora will be eligible to vote making them one of the largest and prosperous voting block in Kenya”, he said.
The conference was attended by high-ranking government officials, business owners and leading Diaspora scholars. A cross-section of participants at the conference who had traveled from different states told The Standard in that they were extremely happy with the convening of the conference because it put them in touch with what the government was doing back home.
Kenya Diaspora Investment Conference coming to DC
In the last few years, the Diaspora has played a huge role in national development through their remittances to Kenya. Remittances have continued to increase on a yearly basis and in April 2011 they increased by 33 percent to $70.1 million from 2010 as the economic recovery continued in Europe and North America. Remittances surged to $266.5 million in the first four months of 2011, compared with $196.5 million in 2010. 56% of the remittances in April came from North America while 26% was from Europe. The government argues that, time has come now for the Diaspora in partnership with government, to leverage the remittances and also to move beyond them to do bigger things that will develop the country.
Top Kenyan scholars based in the US are among thousands of Kenyans living in North America expected to attend an Investment Conference organised by the government of Kenya through its Embassy in Washington, DC
Professor’s Ali Mazrui, Ngugi wa Thoing’o, Calestous Juma and Makau Mutua are some of the leading Kenyan ‘brain power’ abroad who have already confirmed participation in the Kenya Diaspora Conference scheduled for October 8-9, 2011.
Others who have already confirmed participation are Mugo Kibati of Vision 2030 delivery secretariat, PS David Nalo of EAC, Ambassador Arun Singh, Embassy of India, Tirop Kosgey, PS ministry of Housing and Michael Kamau, PS ministry of roads. Also attending are Cyrus Njiru, PS ministry of Transport and Mzalendo Kibunja, Chairman National Cohesion and Integration Commission.
They are expected to lead some illuminating and insightful discussions in the two-day conference on the Role of the Kenyan Diaspora in Kenya’s Development, in view of a Diaspora friendly new constitutional dispensation.
The conference, whose theme is VISION 2030 AND BEYOND: SHARING THE VISION will be held at the Washington Marriot Wardman Park 2660, Woodley Road NW Washington, DC 20008. Registration is going on at the www.kenyaembassy.com.
It’s also meant to highlight and encourage the achievements of Diaspora in US in different fields and to explore how their resources, knowledge, skills, competences, technology, among others, can be harnessed systematically for Kenya’s political, economic and socio-cultural development.
“Most importantly, the conference is expected to launch partnership between Kenya government, civil society and private sector with the Diaspora in implementing Kenya’s Vision 2030 and ensure that the Diaspora remains engaged in the development of Kenya – from remittances to investment and entrepreneurship,” Said the statement in part.
Official estimates indicate that the Kenya Diaspora is about three million. In the US alone, it is estimated that there are about half a million Kenyans. This number could go as high as a million since there is an equal, if not more number of the so-called undocumented Kenyans.
As written by Chris Wamalwa.