DIPLOMAT East Africa - Volume 20

>> DEA at 2 , Making a Difference and Getting Better PG. 6 Volume 020 December 2011 January 2012 Special Issue

Door to Region, Window on World

Kenya’s Sharp Diplomatic Pain Sudan, Eritrea Rattle Kibaki 's Cage

>> Ethiopia, Eritrea and Peace in Somalia... PG. 13 >> How Not to Fight Graft East African Style... PG 18 Kenya KSh300

Uganda USh9000

Tanzania TSh7500

Rwanda RWFr3000

Burundi BUFr6000

South Africa R30

Rest of Africa US$4

USA $4

UK £3

Canada $5

Rest of Europe €3.5

•DIPLOMATIC LICENCE

T

Clear Lingering Doubts About KDF in Somalia

he last couple of months have not been the best for Kenya. Against all conventional wisdom and experience, the military is sent into lawless Somalia in hot pursuit of a ragtag terror militia of no fixed abode.

The US, Britain and France, which seemingly goaded Kenya into action, have long learnt from experience that you do not send battalions, tanks and armoured personnel carriers after guerillas; you deploy special forces and units, and gather as much intelligence as possible before launching any assault.

And when you are dealing with foes as vicious as the Taliban or Al Qaeda, you send in the drones as the US does in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Al-Shabaab is, obviously, not yet in the league of the Taliban or Al Qaeda, but Washington, it would seem, considers them deadly enough to justify the use of drones, which it has deployed in Somalia.

We at Diplomat East Africa have had no quarrel with Kenya’s incursion into Somalia. Even at the risk of belabouring the point; we have expressed our full and unconditional support for any measure that stabilises Somalia.

We, however, draw the line when an operation that should be transparent and well coordinated suddenly starts wobbling. First, we get contradictory statements from government ministers who should be reading from the same script.

For example, Prime Minister Raila Odinga goes to Israel and is captured on television seeking the country’s support for Kenya. A day later the Minister for Defence Yusuf Haji issues a statement suggesting that the PM’s request was personal. The Israeli ambassador in Nairobi

then helpfully says the PM’s request was for homeland security only. The Kenyan military suggests that France, the UK and the US are supporting its war in Somalia.

The three countries politely point out they are not. If they are in Somalia, it is for other purposes. Surely, the conduct of war demands better communication.

Indeed, Kenya is yet to dissuade the world that it did not go to war in Somalia merely to avenge the kidnapping of French tourist Marie Dedieu, who died in the hands of her captors on October 20, five days after the invasion and the capture of British tourist Judith Tebutt. Her husband was murdered during her kidnap in Kenya’s northern tourist circuit.

It was the Minister for Internal Security Prof George Saitoti who announced that Kenya’s military had crossed into Somalia.

He was accompanied by minister Haji. The Commander-inChief talked about the incursion four days later. What was going on? Now that Kenya’s military in Somalia has been placed under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the picture has changed dramatically.

First because this means stabilising Somalia is a continental undertaking complete with the backing of the UN. Second, this shared responsibility takes away some of the strain on the Kenyan purse. But we still must raise the red flag over the opacity surrounding the operation

by Kenya’s military in Somalia. Kenyans need to know how much it had cost the exchequer before the KDF became part of AMISOM. Kenyans also need to be told what the operation has achieved so far

December 2011 - January 2012

11

•IMMUNITIES & IMPUNITIES

Heard and Quoted “My genuine intention has been betrayed and have had to search long and hard for the meaning of this well-choreographed drama that has now been hijacked to cause political damage on my person and character. This relationship has been irretrievable damaged to a point where marriage is now inconceivable,” – Zimbabwe Premier, Morgan Tsvangirai, 59, of his alleged 12-day “marriage” to 39-year old Lorcadia Karimatsenga Tembo.

“We have to realise that the law makes a difference between the soldier or terrorist or a policeman or criminal. There is a difference!” – Fatou Bensouda, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Deputy Chief Prosecutor, who is tipped to take over from Moreno Ocampo.

2

December 2011 - January 2012

“I am not dead. Maybe my coffin is on the way, maybe I have forgotten it at the airport,” – Bingu wa Mutharika, Malawi President, after a three-week disappearance in Macau, China for a “holiday”.

“I think he’s come back for good, because this is the fourth month now, and it is a long time he has been requesting to be brought back here,” – Zimsile Gamakulu, Leader of Walks, Nelson Mandela Museum, speaking at Mandela’s childhood home, Qunu.

•THE REGION Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Eastern Africa Beat

The Management, Editor and Staff of

Global Village Publishers EA Limited, publishers of Diplomat East Africa, Sokoni magazine and Best of Kenya, wish all advertisers, subscribers and readers throughout

Merry Christmas and Happy 2012. eastern Africa and globally a

•DIPLOSPEAK Have Your Say

Eritrea categorically rejects the illegal and unjust sanctions by the United Nations Security Council. The resolution is yet another injustice perpetrated on the Eritrean people and it will heighten tensions and stoke an already explosive situation in the Horn of Africa. The resolution was not about Somalia or Djibouti.

The Monitoring Group Report was incidental to the process, a mere fig leaf.

As it became evident to everyone at the Security Council, the sanctions were the result of undisguised United States hostility towards Eritrea. It was an attempt by the US administration to scapegoat Eritrea for its faulty and failed policies in the Horn of Africa.

Wiki leaks documents amply testify that this is part of a concerted US campaign to muzzle Eritrea and bring it under heel by intimidating the Eritrean people and imposing economic hardships on them.

The sanctions resolution on Eritrea reveals that despite the massive transformation taking place in the World, the United Nations and the Security Council are still dominated by the United States and underscore the need for radical UN reform. The process that led to the resolution, during which the United States singlehandedly prevented Eritrea’s meaningful participation and then turned the Security Council into a Kangaroo court has further discredited the UN body.

The Security Council Resolution comes exactly a week before the 12th anniversary of the Algiers Agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Since then the Security Council, at the instigation of the United States has imposed sanctions on Eritrea twice, while at the same time refusing to take any measures against Ethiopia which continues to occupy sovereign Eritrean territory in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions. This is

4

Eritrea’s Straight Face RANT/RAVE

>> Women of Substance PG. 10 November 2011

Volume 019

Door to Region, Window on World

German investors are rapidly establishing their presence in

Kenya’s War of Choice KDF Goes After Somali Militia Gang

the country with major investment portfolios

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The State of Eritrea

FOREIGN INVESTORS WELCOME

Special Feature PG. 45

Kenya KSh300 Uganda USh9000 Tanzania TSh7500 Rwanda RWFr3000 Burundi BUFr6000 South Africa R30

a dereliction of duty and a cause of exacerbated conflict and instability in the Horn of Africa.

Back in 1950, in the month of December, the United Nations voted to deny the right of Eritrea as a former Italian colony to become an independent nation and decided to place it under Ethiopian yoke. The culprit then as now was the United States, with the then US Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles infamously arguing, “From the standpoint of justice, the opinions of the Eritrean people must receive consideration.

Nevertheless, the strategic interest of the United States in the Red sea basin and considerations of security and world peace make it necessary that the country has to be linked with our ally, Ethiopia.” That decision led to a 30 year war between Eritrea and Ethiopia before the Eritrean people achieving their right to independent statehood at a heavy price.

Six decades later, the United States is once again seeking to thwart nation building and economic development in Eritrea. The peoples of Eritrea, Ethiopia and the region will undoubtedly pay a price for this continued misguided poli0cy, but the Eritrean people will prevail, pas they prevailed in the past. This is why on the morrow of the sanctions resolution, the overwhelming mood

December 2011 - January 2012

among Eritreans is not raging angeralthough there is that as well- but quiet confidence and determination.

Rest of Africa US$4 USA $4 UK £3 Canada $5 Rest of Europe €3.5

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU: Send your letters to, letters@ diplomateastafrica.com.

Submission of a letter constitutes permission to publish it in any form or medium. Letters may be edited for reasons of space and clarity.

DISCLAIMER: All letters submitted to Diplomat East Africa are presumed to be intended for publication. The editor reserves the right to edit all letters. Readers are advised to keep their letters short and to submit their names and addresses even when these are not to be published.

German investors are rapidly establishing their presence in the country with major investment portfolios, which is indeed a boost to the Kenyan economy. Recently, BASF, the world’s leading chemical company from Germany, officially opened a new office in Nairobi, which will care for customers in East and Sub-Sahara Africa. The move is part of BASF’s strategy to strengthen its presence in Africa’s emerging markets. Jacques Delmoitiez, president of BASF Europe, Africa and Middle-East, said the reason for this is that Africa is a vast, resource-rich continent with a rapidly growing population and economy. The continent is being looked upon as fertile ground to birth such lucrative multi-million dollar initiatives.

Having lived in Kenya for many years, I feel that it is of great importance to make the country conducive for such foreign investments trickling in.

I was pleased to learn that BASF plans to double its sales numbers in Africa by the year 2020. Through its social foundation in Kibera, BASF also officially launched a social project, which has been planned and implemented jointly with UN-HABITAT and local partners.

The Kibera Soweto East Resource Center provides physiotherapy and occupational therapy for disabled children and medical care for infants and toddlers.

Carla Bonne, Nairobi.

>> DEA at 2 , Making a Difference and Getting Better PG. 6

Volume No 020 • December 2011 - January 2012

Door to Region, Window on World

Kenya’s Sharp Diplomatic Pain Sudan, Eritrea Rattle Kibaki 's Cage

>> Ethiopia, Eritrea and Peace in Somalia... PG. 13 >> How Not to Fight Graft East African Style... PG 18

PUBLISHER Global Village Publishers (EA) Limited PO Box 23399-00625, Nairobi Vision Plaza, Ground Floor, Suite 19, Mombasa Road, Nairobi

TELEPHONES

Contents Table of

Landline: 020 2525253/4/5 Mobile: 0722 401739, 0722 787345 E-mail: habari@diplomateastafrica.com Feedback: editor@diplomateastafrica.com Subscription: subs@diplomateastafrica.com Website: www.diplomateastafrica.com

EDITORIAL Editorial Director: Kwendo Opanga Associate Editor: Mohamed Warsama Chief Sub Editor: Patrick Wachira Culture Editor: Ngari Gituku Contributing Editor: Bob Job Wekesa Staff Writers: Wycliffe Muga, Jane Mwangi, Baron Khamadi, Carol Kiiru, Ronald Bera,Kiishweko Orton, Rabura Kamau

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Simon Mugo

SALES & MARKETING MANAGER

PG 38

PG 46

James Ombima

BUSINESS EXECUTIVES Joseph Ngina, Irene Mwangi

DIPLOMATIC LICENCE

DESIGN TEAM

Clear Lingering Doubts About KDF in Somalia.....................................................1

Daniel Kihara Raphael Mokora

PHOTOGRAPHY

IMMUNITIES AND IMPUNITIES...................2

Yahya Mohamed

CONTRIBUTORS Biko Jackson, Nairobi Godwin Muhwezi, Arusha Edward Githae, Kigali Silvia Rugina, Kigali Godfrey Musila, Johannesburg John Gachie, Juba John Mulaa, Washington DC Julius Mbaluto, London Manoah Esipisu, London Kennedy Abwao, Addis Ababa Mishaeli Ondieki, Los Angeles Rodney Muhumuza, Kampala Peter Mwaura, Nairobi Robert Mugo, Alberta, Canada

CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTION Stephen Otieno

ADMINISTRATION Josephine Wambui, Charles Kimakwa

PRINTER Ramco Printing

DISCLAIMER: Diplomat East Africa may not be copied and or transmitted or stored in any way or form, electronically or otherwise, without the prior and written consent of the publisher. Diplomat East Africa is published at Vision Plaza, Ground Floor, Suite 19, Mombasa Road, by Global Village Publishers (EA) Limited, Box 23399 – 0625, and Telephone 020-2525253/4/5. Registered at the GPO as a newspaper.

dea at 2 Making a Difference and We are Getting Better....................................................6-8

THE REGION

a Land of discovery...................................................46-47 Keeping the Water Running.....................................48-50 Kenya and Slovakia Partner for Progress..................................................51-52 Better Services for the World’s Bottom Billion .............................................53-54

Economy Watershed Moment for the Commonwealth............................................55-56

Green Agenda

Kenya Bites the Diplomatic Bullet.............................9-12 Ethiopia, Eritrea and Peace in Somalia............................................. ..13-15 GBHL Prepares for Relief Supplies...............................16 How NOT to Fight Graft...........................................18-19 A Top Tourist Destination........................................20-21 EAC States Angle for Single Tourist Visa.................22-23 Gambian Lawyer Gives the ICC an African Face..................................................26-27 Which Way for Kenyan Politics Come 2012?..................................................28-31 The South Sudan Pie.................................................32-33 Sudan: A Burgeoning Land of Opportunities....................................................37

The Economic Case for Greening Cities....................................................59-60

DNA

Bavaria Auto Announces BMW Golf Cup Tournament Winners...............................................68-69

Fostering Richer, Closer Ties.................................................................38-41 Insecurity Costs Economy Heavily...............................43 Security Matters........................................................44-45 The West Coast of Kenya;

DEA HOTELS Enduring, Alluring and Attractive............................................................61-63

GLOBAL STAGE 'The Gods' May Smile on Obama One More Time......................................64-65

CULTURE Nation Branding Taken to a New Level...................66-67

ENVOYS OF SPORT

DIARY..........................................................70

December 2011 - January 2012

55

..,Two Years Later WE KEEP OUR PROMISE

Making a Difference and We are Getting Better Diplomat East Africa celebrates its second anniversary of unparalleled reporting, analyses and insights. DEA’s MOHAMMED WARSAMA brings some highlights >> Obasanjo's take on Africa's retired Presidents PG. 50

>> Women of Substance PG. 10 I MR KE on ort Rep ial ec Sp

September 2011 Volume 017

November 2011

Volume 019

Door to Region, Window on World

Door to Region, Window on World

>> Eritrea Takes on Ethiopia PG. 13

>> Uchumi's Rise from the Ashes PG 35 August 2011

Kenya’s War of Choice

October 2011

Volume 016

Volume 018

KDF Goes After Somali Militia Gang

Door to Region, Window on World

Door to Region, Window on World

Unusual Suspect

Mother Courage

Amos Wako's 20-year tenure finally ends

Tribute to Prof Wangari Maathai 1940-2011

How Kenya's film industry is poised for take-off ...Pg. 30 The true cost of America's wars ...Pg. 54 Kenya KSh300

Uganda USh9000

Tanzania TSh7500

Rwanda RWFr3000

Burundi BUFr6000

South Africa R30

Rest of Africa US$4

USA $4

UK £3

Canada $5

Special Feature PG. 45 Rest of Europe €3.5

Kenya KSh300

Uganda USh9000

IGAD'S Worst Nightmare

SOUTH SUDAN'S NEW CHALLENGES ...PG. 25 Focus on Drought ...PG. 12

Sheikh Sharif's Unfinished Business

D Kenya KSh300

Uganda USh9000

Rwanda RWFr3000

Burundi BUFr6000

Special Feature PG. 19

Tanzania TSh7500

Rwanda RWFr3000

Burundi BUFr6000

South Africa R30

Rest of Africa US$4

USA $4

UK £3

Canada $5

Rest of Europe €3.5

iplomat East Africa has just turned two, and with this issue we mark this important milestone. The year just ending has been challenging but highly exciting for us, and we believe we have been responsible for some authentic landmark reporting in the rarefied area of diplomatic journalism.

When we launched our inaugural issue in January 2010, we said in our mission statement that we would provide a Door to the Region and a Window on the World; we have. We just did not anticipate how much the world, as we knew it then, would change and how big a window we would need to let in and accommodate the monumental shifts we were witnessing.

6

Tanzania TSh7500

Kenya KSh300

Uganda USh9000

Tanzania TSh7500

Rwanda RWFr3000

Burundi BUFr6000

South Africa R30

Rest of Africa US$4

USA $4

UK £3

Canada $5

Rest of Europe €3.5

We therefore, have decided to share with you our reader, advertiser, colleague and well-wisher a valedictory walk down memory lane as we consider the highs and lows of the momentous year that has just passed.

Who would have imagined that the Arab Spring would have such a dramatic and cataclysmic impact on the political landscape of the Maghreb and North Africa? It all started innocuously enough with a young Tunisian who, apparently tired of his lot, set himself on fire.

The ensuing inferno, it would seem, consumed more than him; the street protests that erupted in Tunisia saw the regime collapse and the president flee to Saudi Arabia. Algeria was next; the regime did survive but not before

December 2011 - January 2012

South Africa R30

Rest of Africa US$4

USA $4

UK £3

Canada $5

Rest of Europe €3.5

some rapid adjustments were made in the governance and human rights areas.

The regime in Egypt was not so lucky and authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak was forced out; the Muammar Gadhafi regime in Libya fought back, but the UN, Washington and NATO decided to move in and protect the protestors from the regime’s backlash.

We captured all this for you and in a predictive headline recapped Gadhafi’s taunt to his tormentors; ‘Come and Get Me…’ and they did. Somewhere along the line, the brief in Libya was shifted from protecting civilians to regime change.

Under NATO bombings, Gadhafi fled to his hometown to save his life; he was finally captured hiding in a culvert and was shot dead on the streets on his Sirte hometown like a common thief.

The crisis is still unfolding in the Greater Middle East states of Yemen, where regime change is eminent and in Syria where President Bashar Assad is desperately fighting for his political life.

We brought you all these developments in our Global Stage pages. But we did not confine ourselves to the Maghreb and the Middle East. We also covered the tsunami that devastated Japan and the British royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton that captured the world’s atten-

..,Two Years Later tion. We had some comic relief too - the fall of the mighty as exemplified in the rape case against the International Monetary Fund’s then Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

But this does not mean that we neglected the East Africa and Horn of Africa region. We stayed true to our undertaking to Open the Door to the region and our record abundantly bears us out. powder keg

The same goes for our commitment to facts and to telling situations exactly as they are. We were the first media house to flag the crisis in Somalia as a powder keg waiting for just a spark to explode and to underline the seriousness with which we treated the matter; we sought an exclusive interview with Dr Jean Ping, the man who runs the African Union Commission.

We met Ping in Kampala during the 15th Annual meeting of the AU, where he admitted that the Somali imbroglio posed a major threat not only to the region but also to the international community.

He spoke at length about the AU’s plans for the country and the fight against terror in the East Africa and Horn region. We promised we would stay with the story and we have. As it turned out, the AU chief’s lofty promises have turned out to be no more than wishful thinking.

Of the AU force promised to stabilise Somalia, only Uganda and Burundi have actually sent troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). So far the 9,000 soldiers have been confined to the capital Mogadishu where they protect the beleaguered government of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.

Our prediction that it was only a matter of time before another country in the region followed

in Ethiopia’s footsteps by sending troops into lawless Somalia to eject the warlords and the militia has come to pass. Ethiopia sent its army into Somalia in late 2006 to oust the Islamic Courts Union, which had threatened to attack Addis Ababa.

Exactly five years later on October 15, 2011, Kenya sent its armed forces into Somalia in hot pursuit of the terror militia Al-Shabaab after it attacked the country’s economically strategic tourism sector.

But we had voiced our concern over the threats the militia roaming freely in Somalia posed to the region much earlier. In our August issue, we had as our cover story the failed government of Sharif and the perils the warlords and militias in Somalia posed to the region and continent as a whole.

We rightly pointed out that lawless Somalia was a fertile ground for both homegrown and international terrorists; that the rampart piracy problem in the Indian Ocean has forced up shipping costs as vessels have either to travel deeper in the sea or take the longer route through South African ports.

But that is not the only problem the piracy poses to the region; for a fee the pirates are known to allow ships to dump toxic waste into the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast. Indeed, after the December 2004 tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean, some of the waste was washed off shore forcing the Nairobi-based UNEP to launch a major investigation.

Insecurity in Somalia did, however, hamper the investigation.

Due to the lack of security and state control over Somali waters and the port, illicit cargo such as narcotics and arms have found their way into the country and region.

This has worsened the danger-

Exactly five years later on October 15, 2011, Kenya sent its armed forces into Somalia hot pursuit of the terror militia

Al-Shabaab after it attacked the country’s economically strategic tourism sector

ous problem of the proliferation of small arms, for which Somalia and the DRC are the worst culprits. We have also given considerable coverage to another hot spot in the region – the Sudan - both before the spilt and after.

Indeed, we are the only regional media to sit down with Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir and examine his country’s defining moment in the wake of the South’s decision to break away.

We were back at it on July 9, 2011, during South Sudan’s independence when we dedicated our cover stories to Africa’s newest state and profiled President Salva Kiir like had never been done before. We pointed out the pitfalls that lay in his path.

Merciful, he has managed to side step the worst of these traps.

However, our warnings about letting corruption spiral out of control abuse of his people’s human rights and intolerance to opposing views do not seem to have been heeded.

Still on the region’s beat, Diplomat East Africa dedicated considerable time and effort to the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. As part of that effort, we interviewed both their embassies in Nairobi, in the process giving them an opportunity to air their grievances and hopefully find a middle ground.

We also engaged the Djiboutian ambassador in Kenya, who gave some important insights into regional problems using the framework provided by the InterGovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

As the name of our flagship publication suggests, we have interviewed as many as two dozen high commissioners and ambassadors. These include Rwanda’s former High Commissioner, the suave George Kayonga, who held the record of being the longest

December 2011 - January 2012

7

..,Two Years Later serving ambassador in Nairobi having been based in Kenya for nine years.

His views about Rwanda’s panacea for its troubled past which included one of the worst genocides in history were both profound and touching. Rwanda, he declared, had chosen the path of growth and healing.

It is a salutary message that all the feuding factions in Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea should take to heart.

Diplomat East Africa also played its part in the continent’s fight for human rights and in the campaign to end corruption. We added our voice to those calling on the Ugandan government to cease the abuse of suspects of the July 2010 bombings in downtown Kampala and of opposition leader Dr Kiiza Besiege and his colleagues. graft

We have also thrown our lot behind any genuine and legitimate effort to rid the world of the threats posed by terrorists. What we have questioned, though, are the means and the fact that such campaigns should never to be used to camouflage other crimes.

We have also been deeply involved in the fight against corruption both at the regional and continental level. We, indeed, derive immense satisfaction from the fact that we fully covered both the campaign and the collaboration between the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in settling up the African Legal Support Facility, and the training seminar for lawyers in handling corruption cases.

This facility was set up to assist African governments tackle international graft and the increasing cases of Vulture Funds that prey on sovereign debt. We take particular

8

pride in the fact Diplomat East Africa covered both the launch of the Facility and the inaugural training in Kigali as well as the seminar for lawyers from Southern Africa held in Cape Town.

We also took our civic duty seriously and placed the Green Agenda on a higher plane. Every month we have endeavoured to show how we can make Planet Earth a better place by seeking out those who have invested in the efficient use of energy and other resources.

Diplomat East Africa also did its bit in providing links between research institutions and the general public that consume their products and services. In this respect, we take great pride in mentioning our partnership with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the AU’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resource (AU-IBAR).

Covering and highlighting their ground-breaking work in scientific and medical research was truly spellbinding. We believe we are all the richer for the experience.

We paid similar attention to the business world, both local and international, and celebrated the regional success of retail giant Nakumatt Holdings, luxury car dealer Bavaria Auto, which is the franchise holder for the high-end BMW brand. We also partnered with the German Business Association in covering the wide range of businesses that either have a German connection or do business in that country we told the inspiring story of the Grain Bullk Handlers in Mombasa.

We examined the easy side of life too; sharing with diplomats and their spouses their lives away from the limelight and through our Odyssey pages took you to places you perhaps never ever knew existed. We believe we are all the better for the experience.

And in our Envoys of Sport sec-

December 2011 - January 2012

It is a salutary message that all the

feuding factions in Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea should take to heart

tion we shook a leg and an arm occasionally as we covered sports that were way out of the common pitch.

But we also faced our hard moments too. When Kenya’s and the Commonwealth’s longest serving Attorney General Amos Wako called it a day, and were called upon to give a candid assessment of his performance; we found ourselves at a crossroads.

Do we talk the much trodden path and paint a glossy picture of his performance or do we stay true to our calling and give an honest assessment? In the end, we believe, good judgment prevailed and we gave what in good faith we thought was an honest assessment of his two-decade-long term in office.

But it was not that straight forward when, as a country and continent, we lost the first woman Nobel Laureate Prof Wangari Maathai. Her death on September 25, 2011 struck too close for comfort. She was a cherished expert columnist for this publication and indeed, wrote for its inaugural issue.

We still did our part in paying our tribute. We have also critically examined Kenya’s military incursion into Somalia as it pursues the ragtag Al-Shabaab militia. All in all, we have really enjoyed putting this publication together month after month for the last two years, and can only hope you too have enjoyed reading it.

We promise to keep the same standard and quality you have come to associate with us as we heard into the future with confidence We also take this opportunity to thank you our Readers, Subscribers and Advertisers for the support that you have so generously extended to us. www.diplomateastafrica.com

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

December 2011-January 2012 War in somalia

Kenya Bites the Diplomatic Bullet

omar el bashir:

Sudanese President

If Kenya’s planners and strategists had hoped that the military operation in Somalia would be fast and furious, the reality on the ground has proved different. Nairobi has realised that unless it eases the tensions with Khartoum and gets Eritrea to back its campaign, the incursion risks looking more like an invasion, making it extremely di icult to extricate itself quickly or easily.

BY MOHAMMED WARSAMA December 2011 - January 2012

99

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

J

Zenawi has deployed some troops in Somalia but wants to maintain Addis Ababa’s regional role

and worries about its diminishing influence on Somali policy

10

ust two-months into Kenya’s incursion into Somalia, Kenya’s Parliament voted in December to place the country’s armed forces under the command of the United Nations-sponsored African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

It was clearly the wise thing to do because Nairobi had run into a diplomatic wind storm involving Sudan and Eritrea that might have proved increasingly costly to the campaign to stabilise the lawless Horn of Africa country.

First, Kenya accused Eritrea of sending three planeloads of arms to the Baidoa military enclave for the Al-Shabaab militants. But instead of addressing its concerns in private, where it would have argued its case for presenting a united front against the terror militia, Nairobi in a show of hubris, went public.

As it has turned out, the UN Security Council had taken Nairobi’s side and imposed additional sanctions on Eritrea for continuing to support armed groups seeking to destabilise Somalia and other parts of the Horn of Africa. The new sanctions bolster the arms and travel embargoes imposed on Asmara two years ago earlier.

The new measures are contained in a resolution which received the support of 13 of the Council’s 15 members. China and Russia abstained. This followed an earlier meeting at which the Council heard a briefing from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

But the new measures against Eritrea might turn out to be a pyrrhic victory for Kenya. Even Ethiopia, which has watched with glee as its bitter rival, Eritrea, took the heat, is understood to be deeply suspicious and skeptical about Kenya’s operation in Somalia.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has dismissively described Mr Isa-

December 2011 - January 2012

ias Afewerkia’s regime as “a clique in Asmara that has never grown up from being a rebel group”. But that does not mean he supports Kenya’s intervention in Somalia.

Zenawi has deployed some troops in Somalia but wants to maintain Addis Ababa’s regional role and worries about its diminishing influence on Somali policy.

Indeed, just as his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni, he resents the praise Kenya is getting for its efforts to stabilise the wartorn country. The actual weakening of Al-Shabaab has been carried out by troops from Uganda, Burundi and Ethiopia. These have paid a higher price without any public acknowledgement.

“Nairobi’s aim is to maximise the pressure on Asmara to change its policies on Somalia, but it will not happen,” says Rashid Abdi, an expert on Somalia and an analyst with the International Crisis Group (see accompanying interview on Somalia).

“Eritrea is unlikely to cave in to international pressure – at least not anytime soon. Kenya should learn a lesson from the way in which Sudan and Eritrea achieved a détente some years ago. Both countries used discreet diplomacy to achieve this,” Abdi told Diplomat East Africa.

Earlier, Eritrea, which saw the hand of Ethiopia behind Nairobi’s accusations, hit back in anger by lodging a defamation complaint against Kenya with the UN Security Council. Kenya, in turn, filed a counter-claim through IGAD. But before the UN could handle the dispute, Nairobi found itself scrambling to its feet to resolve another crisis that could have more serious implications beyond the rarefied diplomatic arena.

A Nairobi court issued a highly contentious order to arrest Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir if he ever visits the country again

and to deliver him to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The ruling came after an NGO, the International Commission of Jurists, petitioned the High Court to enforce the rules of the ICC, of which Kenya is a signatory. anger

This came in the wake of ElBashir’s visit to Kenya in August 2010 to witness the promulgation of the country’s new constitution.

Nairobi not only failed to enforce an ICC warrant of arrest against the Sudanese leader for crimes against humanity in Darfur, but actually invited him to attend the fete. The El-Bashir regime could

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

barely contain its disgust and anger at the court order. Kenya’s ambassador in Khartoum was summarily shown the door. His Sudanese counterpart in Nairobi was immediately recalled.

For Nairobi, the fallout with Khartoum could not have come at a worse point. First, Kenya was badly exposed in Somalia, where its pursuit of the Al-Shabaab militia was yet to gain any meaningful traction.

Its troops appeared stuck in the mud and were struggling to even find the enemy. The terror militia had simply melted into the interior of the country in the hope of drawing in the Kenyans and wearing them out.

Second, the fallout with Khartoum was an unwelcome distraction and, third, and even more potently, it made the rivalry with Eritrea a lot more dangerous.

Eritrea and Sudan have mended fences after years of unbridled hostility that saw them support rebel groups in each other’s backyard. Indeed, to seal their new found rapprochement, the ElBashir regime repatriated hundreds of Eritrean asylum seekers to the astonishment and anger of the UN. Nairobi, it would seem, quickly realised the folly of antagonising Khartoum, which could have easily decided to align itself with Eritrea and render its incursion into

addressing the nation: President

Mwai Kibaki

Somalia even more perilous. To his credit, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs minister Mr Moses Wetang’ula seems to have read Khartoum’s mood correctly. He flew into the Sudanese capital and managed to assuage a fuming El-Bashir and somewhat calmed him down. But that, say analysts, was the easy part.

Getting a hardliner of El Bashir’s mould to understand the tenets of judicial independence and the distinction between a court order and an executive decision may be a lot harder.

But the real test for Wetang’ula and indeed, for President Mwai Kibaki will come if the Kenya government is unable to reverse the court order within the two-week ultimatum issued by Khartoum, before it again severs relations between the two countries.

It was therefore, evident that unless Kenya eased the tensions with Khartoum completely and got Eritrea to somehow back its campaign, the military operation in Somalia ran the risk of looking more like an invasion. That would have made it extremely difficult for Kenya to extricate itself quickly or easily.

As we went to press, Kenya’s Attorney General Githu Muigai had lodged an appeal in the High Court. But at best, he can only hope to stay the arrest order while the appeal process runs its course.

It is also possible that ICJ may set its sights on the Supreme Court.

There is no guarantee, though, that the Judiciary will play along.

It might feel that under its new socalled reformist leadership, it has to make a point to stem the growing public disillusionment with its performance.

Despite having a new leadership which rode into office promising reform and change, Kenya’s Judiciary is still plagued by missing files and a tortoise’s pace in

December 2011 - January 2012

11 11

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

moses wetangula:

Foreign Affairs Minister delivering judgments, two areas in which its performance is universally judged.

Secondly, Kenya’s increasingly vocal civil society groups have backed the court ruling against El-Bashir and berated the Executive for attacking the verdict. The ruling has also been supported by some Members of Parliament who back the ICC intervention against any form of impunity. rivalry

At another level, the squabble over the El-Bashir order exposed yet again the rivalry in Kenya’s coalition government. Politicians aligned to Kibaki’s Party of National Unity (PNU) have little time for the ICC and its out-going Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in view of the pre-trial hearings of six Kenyan politicians accused of inciting the 2008 post-election violence.

But Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) wing in government can barely contain its mirth as Wetang’ula, who is an accomplished lawyer and a fast thinker on his feet, has struggled to salvage the situation.

12

He has somehow managed to soft the rift with Asmara by not seeking to expel its envoy in Nairobi.

This division and mutual distrust in the Kenya government was likely to impact negatively on the on-going operation in Somalia before Nairobi made the decision to join AMISOM. But the real test remains at the regional diplomatic front.

“Kenya’s relationship with Khartoum has traditionally been cordial and pragmatic,’’ says Abdi.

Therefore, he adds, “Kenya must proceed cautiously even as it seeks to assert itself and project power in the region. Upsetting allies and creating new enemies are unlikely to further its interests.”

Besides, Kenya must put its relations with Khartoum on a more solid footing if it is to get the moral and, even more importantly, the financial support of Arab countries for its intervention in Somalia.

Somalia’s beleaguered Transitional Federal Government of Sheikh Sharif is almost solely underwritten by the Gulf States, with Saudi Arabia playing a key role. Indeed, both Wetang’ula and Kibaki have personally sought Arab sup-

December 2011 - January 2012

Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) wing in government can barely contain its mirth as Wetang’ula,

who is an accomplished lawyer and a fast thinker on his feet, has struggled to salvage the situation

port for the military operation and for humanitarian aid for areas liberated by Kenyan and the Somali government forces. The incursion is a major drain on Kenya’s resources.

As regional security analysts point out, it remains in Kenya’s interest to show some goodwill towards Eritrea, especially when it appears to Asmara that Nairobi and Addis Ababa are allied against it.

AMISOM will be happy with Nairobi’s decision to place its troops under its command. Djibouti and Sierra Leone will also be sending reinforcements to AMISOM. Might Eritrea, faced with new sanctions, decide it has nothing to lose by actually supporting the anti-Kenya forces in Somalia?

“Eritrea views Somalia as a proxy battlefield to settle scores with Ethiopia. Its support for AlShabaab is not ideological, but is based on the old calculus: the enemy of my enemy is my friend” says Abdi.

Yet a lawless Somalia poses the greatest threat to Kenya than it does to the entire region. Kenya hosts more than 600,000 Somali refuges and has borne the brunt of the large proliferation of illegal arms from Somalia.

Somali pirates have turned the East African coastline into one of the most dangerous places for shipping in the world. Worse, Somali warlords have reportedly allowed toxic waste to be dumped into the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast. They have also allowed illegal large-scale fishing in the region’s waters.

For now Kenya’s seems to be striving pretty hard to keep Sudan on its side. Conventional wisdom would suggest that a similar or greater effort is made to pacify Eritrea

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

dĖtente

Ethiopia, Eritrea and Peace in Somalia Nothing has greater potential to unlock the Somalia peace process and lead to stability in the region than a genuine resolution of the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, says RASHID ABDI, a Horn of Africa expert and analyst with the International Crisis Group. He spoke to DEA’s MOHAMMED WARSAMA

D

IPLOMAT EAST AFRICA: What, in your opinion, is Eritrea’s interest in Somalia given that it does not even share a border with Somalia, yet IGAD, Kenya, Ethiopia, the US and even the UN are convinced that Asmara is arming AlShabaab and contributing to the chaos in the country?

RASHID ABDI: Eritrea views Somalia as a proxy battlefield to settle scores with its enemy Ethiopia. Its support for Al-Shabaab is not ideological, but based on the old calculus: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Eritrea is angry at the unjust settlement of the border conflict between it and Ethiopia. Addis Ababa has used its friendship with the West and diplomatic influence within the continent to wriggle out of its commitment to return Badme – the barren patch of territory that has been at the centre of the border conflict.

Eritrea will continue to act as spoiler not only in Somalia but elsewhere as long as it feels aggrieved at the unfair conclusion of the border arbitration process.

Nothing has greater potential to unlock the Somalia peace process, lead to stability in the Horn of Af-

rica, than a genuine resolution of the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has recently broken ranks with the rest of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) by reaching out to Asmara

Q: Kenya has filed a counterclaim to Eritrea’s complaint to the UN Security Council over the accusation that Asmara has sent three plane-loads of arms to Baidoa after Kenya Defence Forces moved into Somalia. Will these help the situation or further poison relations in the region?

A: By escalating the matter to the UN Security Council, Nairobi’s aim is to maximise the pressure on Asmara to change its policies on Somalia. That will not happen.

Eritrea is unlikely to cave in to international pressure – at least not anytime soon.

Kenya should learn a lesson from the way in which Sudan and Eritrea achieved a détente some years ago. Both countries used discreet diplomacy to achieve this. Internationalising the crisis simply adds more complicated layers, proliferating the actors and interests and only serves to further antagonise Asmara and push it to the extreme.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has recently broken ranks with the rest of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development

December 2011 - January 2012

13 13

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

dence.

It has no interest in seeing jihadi militants take over the region, because it will also lose. Real progress will only be made when both Eritrea and Ethiopia realise it is in their best interests to end this so-called “frozen conflict” which continues to fuel instability in the Greater Horn. The job is not Kenya’s. It is first and foremost, Ethiopia’s.

meles zenawi:

Ethiopian Prime Minister (IGAD) by reaching out to Asmara.

This may be viewed as appeasement, but I think it is a smart thing to do. You get more from Eritrea through dialogue and engagement than by isolating it.

Q: Kenya has also convinced IGAD to reject Eritrea’s bid to rejoin the organisation until its role in Somalia is investigated. In addition, it has appealed to the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee for more stringent measures to be taken against Eritrea. Does this help the efforts to stabilise Somalia?

A: To reiterate; I think Kenya should stop its mega-phone antiAsmara diplomacy which is unlikely to lead anywhere. The best course of action is to reach out to Asmara, engage the leadership and ease the re-entry of Eritrea back into the regional fold.

To couch everything in legalese – perhaps because our Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang’ula is a lawyer – is not going to be effec-

14

tive. This is a political argument, much more than it is a legal one.

The leadership in Asmara is very unpredictable, but it is not irrational. I think it knows its best interest is to work with other nations in the region to stabilise Somalia.

Q: The East African Community (EAC) met early this month and Kenya again prosecuted its case against Eritrea. Nairobi has also sent its complaint to the African is there a reason why Asmara would want to support Islamic fundamentalists?

A: Eritrea is a spoiler in Somalia and will continue to act as spoiler as long its grievances against Addis Ababa are not addressed. As I said, a resolution of the border dispute permanently and fairly will go along way in rehabilitating Eritrea.

People forget that Eritrea has its own homegrown Islamist threat and the regime has been engaged in a violent campaign against militant Islamists backed by Sudan for a whole decade since its indepen-

December 2011 - January 2012

People forget that Eritrea has its own homegrown Islamist threat and

the regime has been engaged in a violent campaign against militant Islamists backed

by Sudan for a whole decade since its independence

Q: What will it take to get Eritrea to convince the world that it is not a trouble-maker and Ethiopia too is involved in the Somalia chaos?

A: There is little incentive in both Ethiopia and Eritrea to fix the border problem. The regimes in both countries have used the border crisis to justify internal repression and to regiment society. The status quo is beneficial to all and not just to Eritrea.

Q: Kenya has convinced Ethiopia to send troops to join AMISOM. Do you think it is a good idea? Will it help or worsen the situation given that Ethiopia’s invasion of Somalia in 2006 when it sought to expel the Islamic Union Courts is believed to have given risen to the Al-Shabaab?

A: Ethiopia must realise any large scale incursion into Somalia will have a profoundly negative impact. If it has learnt any lesson from its disastrous 2006 invasion, it is the folly of assuming that military might is capable of re-arranging the political landscape in Somalia in its favour.

I think Ethiopia should resist any temptation to intervene in Somalia again. It must not contribute any troops to AMISOM because that will simply worsen the African peacekeepers’ credibility. What it can do is to share its superior knowledge of Somalia with the new players - AMISOM and Kenya.

Q: How long, will it take a cam-

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

governments. The process may be chaotic and unmediated, but it is much more organic than the futile attempts to prop up the Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu.

paign such as the one undertaken by Kenya, AMISOM and other interested parties, to stabilise Somalia and put it on the road to recovery?

A: It is difficult to predict how long Kenya’s intervention will last. My hope is that the Kenyans will work quickly to degrade AlShabaab and pull out. Kenya enters an election year that will be extremely difficult and bitterly contested in 2012. A military campaign will be hugely distracting and could complicate matters domestically. The country must wrap up the campaign very soon.

As I have suggested elsewhere, Kenya can achieve modest success if it: (a) clarifies its military goals; (b) downscales its ambition (c) avoids getting trapped in a messy and long conflict (d) works to broaden the Jubaland project

(e) protects social cohesion and prevents backlash against Somalis in Kenya and, (f) works with the Muslim community to strengthen the campaign against jihadi radicalisation and jihadi terrorism.

Q: In your opinion, will any new intervention into Somalia help resolve the country’s 20year crisis, in view of the fact other attempts have been made have been made in the past without any success?

A: Somalia can never be governed as a centralised state again.

All attempts of the last two decades to recreate a Europeanstyle central government have failed. There is need to recognise this fact. Many communities in the periphery and away from the centre in Mogadishu are creating their own autonomous regional

Q: Would a Jubaland state that borders Kenya and is either fully independent on the lines of Somaliland or even quasi-independent help stabilise the rest of the country?

A: The Jubaland project can succeed if those in charge of the plan admit the mistakes made and are willing to change. Kenya made a mistake in handpicking leaders and legitimising them hastily in a process that was highly arbitrary.

Had Kenya stepped back and allowed the process to evolve organically, the chances of success would have been greatly enhanced. In the event, we have a political team that is not cohesive and lacks popular legitimacy.

Political actors in the Jubba are unwilling to join a process that is for all intents and purposed locked – a rigid fait accompli. There is huge disaffection in Gedo; there are pockets of discontent within the Jubba Valley itself.

In a nutshell, the Jubaland project could prove a hard sale. There is need to re-open the process and reach out to those pockets of resistance in order to enhance wider buy-in. There is equally a need for Kenyans to engage Ethiopians much more actively and to allay fears in Addis Ababa that a largely Ogaden enclave could jeopardise Ethiopia’s national security

Had Kenya stepped back and allowed the process to evolve organically,

the chances of success would have been greatly enhanced

Rashid Abdi is a Horn of Africa Analyst with the International Crisis Group and the author of numerous reports on Somalia. He holds degrees in Islamic Studies, Mass Communication and is currently a doctoral candidate.

December 2011 - January 2012

15 15

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

GBHL Prepares for Relief Supplies

BY STAFF WRITER

W

ith the Kenya and some parts of the region facing flooding due to the heavy rains witnessed in November and December, attention has again shifted to the Port of Mombasa where relief supplies are expected.

Both local and international relief agencies who spoke to Diplomat East Africa have expressed satisfaction with the port’s handling of relief supplies since the commissioning of the Grain Bulk Handlers, whose chairman is Mr Mohamed Jaffer (pictured). But expressed their frustration at the condition of roads, most of which have been rendered impassable by the unseasonal rains.

The Kenya Red Cross Society has put the number of Kenyans displaced by the floods at about 85,000 and has appealed for assistance, which is expected to once again put the port under pressure.

In October, the port issued a caution stating that the rains pounding the region had hampered its operations.

In the warning, Kenya Ports Authority managing director, Gichiri Ndua, said the rains, “had disrupted port operations, especially for products that are brought in bulk like sugar, wheat, maize and rice.”

This came at a particularly critical time as donor oganisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN relief agencies were importing food supplies to restock their stores in the wake of the recent drought and famine that hit East

16

Africa and the Horn Region leaving an estimated 13 million people vulnerable.

As if that was not bad enough, Ndua said the flow of road traffic “of which the port relies for up to 95 per cent for the receipt and delivery” of cargo has been badly damaged by the rains.

The port is also suffering outages that have rendered the use of equipment in loading and offloading cargo impossible.

The Kenya Red Cross Society has put the number of Kenyans displaced by the floods at about 85,000 and has appealed for assistance, which

is expected to once again put the port under pressure

December 2011 - January 2012

GBHL receives deliveries of bulk cereal imports from around the world at the port as the region strives to meet the ever-increasing demand from millers, traders, NGOs and relief agencies in East and Central Africa, including Great Lakes, Southern Sudan and Somalia.

Indeed, the terminal is described as a shining example for Africa of clear vision and sound investment matched by a drive for high productivity and good business practice.

Before the commissioning of the facility in 2000, grain imports were handled by using a combination of grabs, evacuators and mobile bagging plants. As a result, this led to the low discharge rates of about 2,500mts, which saw importers and vessel operators pay high costs and led to heavy spillage levels.

For relief agencies, GBHL has made it easier for them to meet their mandate from their hub in Nairobi. It greatly improved quayside productivity by being able to discharge at a rate of 600mts per hour. The average daily discharge

rate at the terminal from specialised bulk carriers is 11,000mts. On some occasions daily performance rates are as high as 13,800mts.

One of the immediate impacts of the improved discharge of bulk grain imports at Mombasa was a reduction of handling costs to importers; this fell from US$24.00 per tonne to US$16.00 per tonne for bagged deliveries and to US$ 14.50 per tonne for bulk deliveries.

There were a number of other benefits for ship operators and importers in terms of faster discharge times, lower freight and insurance costs, greater economies of scale, improved cargo quality, better accounting and reduced inventories and crucially, better accounting of discharged and delivered quantities. The KPA has also seen better berth utilisation as stipulated in their master plan and increased revenues from harbour dues.

Equally, the Kenyan economy has gained from additional hard currency earnings.

GBHL terminal was in fact designed to handle a wide range of agricultural produce including those which have traditionally been imported bagged as well as in containers such as rice, sorghum, soya beans and even malt and barley. The terminal also handles fertilisers but to date only wheat, maize, soya beans and sorghum have been handled due to market demand. The potential annual throughput capacity is above three million tones.

If only the road network was equally good, lament the relief agencies

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

corruption index

How NOT to Fight Graft

The prestigious World Bank Governance Indicators has ranked Rwanda the fourth least corrupt Africa in country with a score of 70.8 per cent; but if any scorecard on not tackling graft were to developed, the other East Africa countries would most probably take the crown, writes MOHAMMED WARSAMA

C

orruption has for years been taken as a way of life in East Africa alongside the chaotic traffic jams, power shortages, lack of water and collapsing infrastructure. And when it looks really bad and the international community, mostly donors, threatens to cut aid, some band aid measures are quickly taken before things go back to normal.

But one country in the five-member EAC bloc is actually tackling graft, according to the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI).

The country is Rwanda, which the prestigious WGI Report ranked the fourth least corrupt African country, giving it a score of 70.8 per cent, behind Mauritius with 73.2 per cent and Cape Verde with 74.6 per cent. Botswana took the crown for being the least corrupt African country with a score of 79.9percent.

The 2010 Report indicated that Rwanda has made good progress compared to other Sub-Saharan Africa countries in combating corruption.

Both Kenya, the largest economy in the region, and its biggest trading partner, Uganda, have for years shown motion with no movement in tackling high level graft. In Kenya, when the defunct Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority (KACA) developed an appetite for pursing politicians and Cabinet ministers, it was legislated out of existence in August 2011.

Indeed, as went to press, anti-graft watchdog, Transparency International (TI) had for the third consecutive

18

year ranked Kenya as one of the most corrupt states in the world. In this year’s corruption index, TI placed Kenya at position 154, behind Uganda at 143 and Tanzania at 100. The survey covered 183 countries, with lawless Somalia coming last.

The three least corrupt countries in the world are New Zealand, Denmark and Finland, while the worst are Afghanistan, Myanmar, North Korea and Somalia.

In Kenya, for example, the war against graft is taken so casually that it is often used to settle political scores.

For instance, when Prime Minister Raila Odinga decided he had had enough of his sturborn Orange Dem-

December 2011 - January 2012

ocratic Movement colleague, Mr William Ruto, he attempted, in vain, to have him suspended as minister for Agriculture over the corrupt sale of maize worth of billions of shillings from the country’s strategic reserves.

But when his office was embroiled in the loss of millions of shillings in the World Bank-funded youth empowerment programme (Kazi Kwa Vijana), he dismissed it as poor accountability in the line ministrie. In Kenya’s coalition government, the Prime Minister’s office is charged with the responsibility of supervising the Cabinet.

Similar theft of funds in the ministry of Education for the free primary and which was actually refunded to the donor- the British government is yet to be fully investigated, though some middle and junior level civil servants have been charged in court.

The WGI report ranked Burundi, which is yet to fully recover from the political crisis that engulfed it along with Rwanda in the 1980 and 90s, the most corrupt in the region.

In Uganda’s case, the government of President Yoweri Museveni has cracked the whip on two fronts. It has charged three Cabinet ministers with abuse of office and causing loss of funds over the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Kampala in 2007.

High fliers Sam Kutesa, John Nasasira and Mwesigwa Rukutana stepped down from their Cabinet posts of Foreign affairs, Chief Whip and Labour respectively and were charged before the Anti Corruption

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

Court. They allegedly committed the government to fund the construction of walkways, parking lots and a marina at the Speke Resort Munyonyo causing government to lose Ush14 billion.

They successfully applied for bail and were ordered each of them to deposit Ush40 million in cash for bail.

In Kenya, Parliament decided to abolish the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission and replaced it with the Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission (EACC), which is yet to fully find its footing. But officials of the Commission say it will continue with the high profile investigations and prosecutions instituted by it predecessor.

Among the cases are criminal charges against Billy Indeche, a sonin-law of Water minister Charity Ngilu and Dennis Apaa, who is the husband of Cecily Mbarire, an Assistant minister for Tourism.

An investigation into the sale of Kenya’s embassy in Japan in unclear circumstances is also ongoing and targets Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetangula and his Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi. Both are lawyers and had stepped down from office in October 2010, but were reinstated in to their previous positions in August this year.

This has provoked a storm with the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations and Defence saying it was yet to complete the part of its investigation involving the Japanese government. MPs have threatened to paralyse government operations in the House unless President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga reverse their decision.

But Kenya’s military incursion into lawless Somalia in hot pursuit of the terror militia Al Shabaab has put the matter on hold. Wetangula, as the Foreign Minister, has been the face of the Kenyan campaign seeking to cobble together an international coalition against the militia and has so far done a commendable job.

In Tanzania, a power crisis that has

seen the country endure a 10-month damaging electricity rationing regime ended the political career of the influential and wealthy politician, Rostam Aziz. He quit both his seat in parliament and in the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi where he was Treasurer.

The clamour for his ejection from public life came from opposition and human rights groups over the manner in which companies, that he is said to own, were involved in the crisis besting the energy sector.

He was the MP for Igunga and owns Richmond Development Corporation, which in 2005 bid for the supply of generators to assist the Tanzanian Electricity Supply Company (Tanesco) bridge a debilitating power shortage that had hit the country in the wake of the 2005 drought.

Tanesco, however, preferred dealing with Songas Ltd, which had also bid for the project. Both Songas Ltd and Richmond had dealt with the government, but it would appear that the government had reservations about Richmond which had failed to deliver on a pipeline project between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza.

Songas, however, stated that it was unable to service the contract on its own and passed on the project to its partner Globeleq Ltd. The Tanzania government then signed a five-year contract with the Songas/Globeleq consortium. But before the two could fully service the contract, the government had a change of heart and reopened the tender for fresh bids.

Richmond prevailed this time around and was awarded the multimillion dollar tender in early 2006, as the drought and power crisis worsened. It failed to deliver, and the government, after much dilly dallying, warned Richmond that it would cancel the contract if it did not meet its obligations.

Unknown to the government, Richmond had quietly sold the contract to the Dowans SA, a fact which only came to light after the government, in frustration, cancelled the

An investigation into the sale of Kenya’s embassy in Japan in unclear circumstances is also ongoing and targets

Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetangula and his Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi

tender.

Dowans SA, which has since been identified as a Vulture Funds, came to the Tanzanian government with a demand note seeking millions of dollars in compensation over the cancellation of the tender. The government dismissed the demand, stating that it had no dealings with Dowans SA Ltd. Vulture Funds are companies which buy distressed debts at discount and then pursue the debtor for twice or even thrice the original amount using the international courts of arbitration. Once they get a favourable ruling they then embarrass government, for example, by attaching money streams or assets not protected by immunity. Many governments opt to pay up quietly.

Dowans SA took the Tanzanian government to the International Chamber of Commerce’s Arbitration Chamber in London in 2007. The court ruled against the Tanzanian government, but a new issue surfaced; Dowans SA was not domiciled in Tanzania and had no presence in the country.

Aziz then came to the court with a Letter of Attorney authorising him to represent Dowans SA in the matter. Dowans TZ Ltd was also quietly registered and claimed its place in the case. The Tanzanian Attorney General also weighed in with a legal opinion stating that the government was under obligation to meet its contractual obligations. He recommended that the government pays up.

But before the government paid up, human rights activists and environmental groups stepped in and sued the government. The matter found its way into the public arena in much of 2010 and 2011, leading to the Aziz’s departure from the party where he was Treasurer and from Parliament. The matter is still stuck in court, but chances that are the government will pay up

December 2011 - January 2012

19 19

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

rwanda

A Top Tourist Destination

BY STAFF WRITTER

Gorillas

20

E

ast Africa’s struggling tourism sector has received a much-needed boost after the highly coveted International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) added Rwanda to its list of destinations of choice.

Rwanda becomes the first country in East, Central and North Africa to be identified and designated one of the favourite tourist destinations in the world.

In announcing Rwanda’s addition to the ICTP list, the Council said it gave the country a unique opportunity to promote itself

December 2011 - January 2012

through joint marketing and media programmes.

The development comes as Kenya, which is the region’s tourism giant, battles damaging travel advisories issued by the British and US’s government telling their national s to avoid travelling to the country due to the insecurity posed by Somali terror group, the Al Ashaabab.

Kenya has sent its armed forces in hot pursuit of the terror gang after it murdered a British tourist, kidnaped his wife in one incident and in another kidnapped a French tourist in the popular

coastal circuit.

For years, Kenya has faces stiff competition from Tanzania as a tourist destination of choice in the East African region.

The two countries are locked in a tight scramble for international tourists and revenue, even as the East African Community partner states prepare to market the region as a single tourist destination.

The World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report has ranked Kenya highest in East Africa ahead of Tanzania. Next is Rwanda followed

by Uganda and Burundi.

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

It is a rating that most countries which pride themselves as tourist destinations pursue.

Rwanda joins the ranks of elite destinations such as Seychelles and Johannesburg.

The International Council of Tourism Partners is a global alliance of responsible destinations, cooperation and marketing in tourism. It promotes best practices and being on its list is considered a sign of excellence.

ICTP chairman, Juergen T. Steinmetz, said Rwanda’s addition to its membership will also greatly benefit the council of ICTP founding members.

“We’re very pleased to welcome Rwanda to our list of founding members, and our first member from East Africa. The Rwanda Development Board has shown true leadership in its work. single visa

“I have been following the development of tourism in Rwanda over the years, and I’m impressed with the activities, involvements, and contributions the destination has been making,” he said.

Rwanda has been pushing for a single visa for tourist coming to the East African Community (EAC) region as a means of developing an edge over other tourism destinations.

Welcoming the development, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), John Gara said the country will use its membership of the Council to promote its tourism potential.

RDB is charged with the promotion of tourism and investment in the country. “We are pleased to become a member of ICTP. Rwanda has enormous tourism potential and attractive destinations that are relatively unknown.

“The ICTP platform is an opportunity for the Rwanda Devel-

A Map of East Africa opment Board to showcase its tremendous tourism destinations and conservation initiatives to the world through the joint marketing and media programmes of member countries,” he said.

Speaking exclusively to Diplomat East Africa, Edwin Sabuhoro, the chairman of Tourism Chamber, said that private players in the sector are excited because the membership to the ICTP will boost the numbers of tourists. The Tourism Chamber is the national private sector tourism umbrella organisation that promotes the sector.

“We, the tourism and hospitality business community, are excited about this development, given the fact that we are one of the few quality destinations committed to green, sustainable and responsible tourism in the world,” Sabuhoro said.

“More to this, it is always good to join strategic alliances that represent the interface of what you are trying to achieve, and this is

where ICTP comes in. It provides direct marketing and sales promotion for partner members and also identifies and establishes opportunities that will increase leisure and business tourism in particularly,” he said. Rwanda now gets an important edge as a hub for meetings, incentives, conferences and events, increasing the revenues generated by tourism.

“It will also help us learn and share best practices that work at a country, community and business level, which will ultimately improve our market positioning, enhance our interaction with our markets and increase business to our destination,” Sabuhoro said.

Steinmetz said Rwanda has proved to be one of the few destinations on the continent that maintain a green development agenda.

“It’s a great honour to have Rwanda join our dynamic group of quality travel destinations committed to green growth, because they are already widely recognised as a global tourism champion.

“Rwanda has been conducting itself as a responsible member of the global tourism industry, and is a very special destination with a great future,” Steinmetz said.

Tourism Sector performance Rwanda’s tourism sector has done well at a time when tourists numbers have become choosy in picking destinations due to hard economic times.

According to RDB, for the first six months of the year, Rwanda hosted 405,801 visitors, which is a 27 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The visitors generated an estimate of US$115.6 million, compared to almost US$90.6 million made last year during the same period (an increase of 28 percent)

December 2011 - January 2012

21 21

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

all as one

EAC States Angle for Single Tourist Visa The region aims to stimulate travel across national borders without having to pay extra visa fees every time tourists want to cross from one country to another. Visa fees for each state deter cross-border travel

By LUIZA KAMAU

regional tour:

Tourists leave for the Maasai Mara

T

ourism is valued as an important industry in the East African Community, largely due to the foreign exchange it earns the region. In 2002, it accounted for 9 per cent, 47 per cent and 26 per cent of income receipts for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda respectively.

Ten years later these figures have

22

December 2011 - January 2012

grown impressively.

Blessed with some of the finest natural tourism assets in Africa, the EAC’s potential is far greater than what is projected.

EAC has lots to offer in terms of tourist attractions from the scenic white sand beaches of the Kenyan coastline and Zanzibar, the world famous Maasai Mara and the

Serengeti to the rare mountain gorillas of Rwanda and Uganda.

A single EAC passport is now in use and this has boosted trade within the region, but tourism has not gained much from this.

Recently, talk of introducing a common tourist visa for the entire EAC region has been mooted, with the latest development be-

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

ing a meeting of EAC’s sectoral council on tourism and wildlife in Mombasa. It ended with calls to fast-track the long overdue introduction of the facility for the entire region.

This, it is envisioned, will stimulate growth of tourism since it will allow travel across borders by tourists who come visiting the region, without having to pay extra visa fees every time they want to cross-over.

“We are looking forward to a single visa entry which will take tourists all over the EAC without any hitches,” said Kenya’s EAC Minister, Musa Sirma.

Currently, tourists traveling within the East African region have to pay visa fees for every country they tour, a factor often seen as a deterrent to cross border travel.

Expatriates are not spared either. In spite of being duly registered in their country of residence, they, too, are required to obtain tourist visas when visiting a neighbouring country. As a result, many have opted to go for their holidays to South Africa or as far as Dubai, where most expatriate nationals do not need visas.

Kenya’s Minister for Tourism, Najib Balala has urged his counterparts in the EAC to consider fast-tracking regional issues in the tourism and wildlife management sectors in order to strengthen the EAC as a single tourist destination.

“If we work together, the number of tourists visiting the region will rise, thereby bringing more foreign currency to grow our economies. A single tourist visa will bring diversity which will in turn make East Africa one of the top tourist destinations not only on the African continent but in the entire world,” he said. He added that unfounded suspicions

harboured by some partner states are holding back efforts to take the community to the next level of integration.

Tanzania, for instance, is keeping the foot on the brakes over long lingering fears of Kenya’s dominance of the sector and, in the process, keeping the Bologonja border post between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara closed to commercial traffic.

During the recent World Travel Market in London, Balala emphasised that regional integration of the tourism industry will benefit the entire EAC attract since it will of more tourists, generate more investments, create more jobs and earn the entire region more foreign exchange. marketing

The Ugandan Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage, Prof Ephraim Kamuntu, also riding on the same plane, added that EAC should participate in international expos and trade fairs to deepen the co-operation. He said the benefits of regional integration hinged on the vibrancy of the tourism sector and called for marketing of the region as a single world class tourism destination.

“We should work together to market the region aggressively in the international tourist circuits and at the same time issue a single tourist visa to the international visitors because they want to sample the products we have to offer as a region,” he said.

His sentiments are echoed by many private sector stakeholders in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. They are keen on a firm date for the launch of a single tourist visa and subsequent free movement of duly registered expatriates from one member state to another.

The move will also address a

Tanzania, for instance, is keeping the foot on the brakes over long lingering fears of Kenya’s dominance of the sector and, in the process,

keeping the Bologonja border post between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara closed to commercial traffic

range of other issues such as freedom of movement by tour guides from one country to another with their own tourists instead of being forced to use local guides who often fail to live up to standards and subsequently diminish the safari experience for clients who invest heavily in their trips.

The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Mr Jean Claude Nsengiyumva says the EAC region will soon undertake a common classification of tourism facilities and regulate industry standards across the board so that all partner states can be on the same level in terms of service delivery. This, hopefully, will ease the discontent among some member states and help to fasttrack the introduction of a single tourist visa in the region.

Towards this end, partner states have been asked to increase funding for the industry to effectively compete with other leading tourism destinations such as South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.

Kenya has taken a step towards this end by committing to provide 10 full scholarships to students from each partner state including Zanzibar to train in hospitality at the Utalii College in Nairobi, Kenya.

“We are actively playing our part today. We already have drawn up the budget on the scholarships and we shall immediately send out invitations to the respective member countries,” Balala said.

The EAC Secretariat has been charged with the responsibility of submitting a study on the EAC single tourist visa to partner states before the 5th Sectoral Council meeting to be held in Bujumbura in April next year for consideration and adoption

December 2011 - January 2012

23 23

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

EAC JUDGES ROOT FOR PERMANENT ENGAGEMENT Judges at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) are seeking a permanent engagement at the Arushabased regional court for a more expeditious dispensation of justice. The EACJ President, Justice Harold Nsekela, said that the ad hoc manner in which the judges were operating was a hindrance to an efficient administration of justice by the court.

Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Kenya's East African Community Minister Musa Sirma, Justice Nsekela said that the fact that the EACJ judges were based in their home countries meant that coordination was difficult and affected consistency.

It also means that the judges have divided attention between national and Community affairs.

This, he said, is not good for dispensation of justice at the regional level for dispute resolution in the community. He appealed to the East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers to intervene for a permanent deployment of at least five judges of the court in Arusha to help cope with the rising

number of cases now coming before the court.

Justice Nsekela observed that the current situation where judges serving at the regional court work there for only one week every month means that there is always a delay in determination of cases that come before them. His sentiments were backed by Sirma, who said that consistency in handling cases at the regional court was seriously affected by the absence of the judges in Arusha. The Minister emphasised that the court, and especially its President, should be fully engaged in the regional integration process, adding that this could only be achieved through a full-time engagement and a closer interaction with the EAC Secretary General.

Sirma said that apart from the judicial issues that demanded the attention of the judges, there were also non-judicial issues like meetings and conferences geared towards strengthening the EAC integration and which required the close attention of the EACJ President and other judges, hence the need for their full-time stay in Arusha.

Meanwhile, Justice Nsekela said that the EACJ has commenced the process of establishing subregistries in individual Partner States in its efforts to take judicial services closer to the people.

He thanked the Council of Ministers for approving the establishment of the sub-registries, saying that it will now be easier to file cases at the court through the sub-registries within the Partner States, instead of having to travel to Arusha for the same. He said that interviews for clerks who will man the sub-registries had already been concluded in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with Rwanda and Burundi also set to be covered before the registries are officially launched by March next year.

Justice Nsekela was accompanied by the EACJ Vice President Justice Philip Tunoi and the EACJ Registrar, Dr John Ruhangisa. Also present was the Ministry of EAC Permanent Secretary, Mr David Nalo, and Legal Officer, Mr Allan Githaiga.

EAC BACKS KENYAN MILITARY INTERVENTION IN SOMALIA The East African Community has expressed its full support for Kenya’s military operation to flush out the Al Shabaab insurgents in Somalia.

EAC Secretary General, Dr Richard Sezibera, said all the Partner States were clear on their support for Kenya’s ongoing Operation Linda Nchi in Somalia. “Somalia will be on the agenda of the Council of Ministers and the Heads of State Summit which will take place in Bujumbura. We will seek to provide to provide a long lasting solution to the Somalia conflict,” Sezibera said. indeed, it was.

On the anticipated entry of South Sudan into the Community, Sezibera said the insurgencies and lingering state of insecurity in Africa’s youngest nation should not be an obstacle.

Sezibera was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing 24th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers in Bujumbura, Burundi.

“South Sudan is just coming out conflict and there are residual problems with countries emerging from years of conflict. There are problems in state building and insecurity. This is not something that should prevent the EAC from allowing South Sudan into the fold,” said the SG, adding that South Sudan had come out of more difficult times with the help of the Community. “They were engaged with the

24

Community even when they were in conflict. The EAC is better placed to accommodate more countries with histories of conflict. Formerly, we have had Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. EAC has lots of wisdom borne out of experience with which it can assist South Sudan to become more stable,” Sezibera said.

He said the Community had put in place adequate security mechanisms to ensure that whatever happens in South Sudan does not spill over into the other Partner States and negatively affect the EA integration.

December 2011 - January 2012

On corruption, the SG said that for the vice to be eliminated in East Africa there has to be a cultural change among citizens.

“Fighting corruption is more than setting up anti-corruption institutions. People must say no to corruption. You cannot develop a country or a region with corruption,” he said, adding that the media has a critical role to play in the war against corruption.

“Help us fight corruption by making noise about it.

We shall help you where necessary.”

Sezibera further disclosed that the United Republic of Tanzania would host the proposed EAC Kiswahili Commission which will be set up soon to promote the growth of the most widely spoken language in the region.

“Kiswahili is the lingua franca of the Community. Tanzania will host the Kiswahili Commission.

Members of the Commission will be appointed by the Partner States and a programme will be put in place to guide its operations,” he said. On the recent bans by Tanzania on maize exports to Kenya, Sezibera said the issue had been resolved.

“Tanzania had some bans and Kenya had some as well. Tanzania has lifted the ban on maize exports to Kenya while Kenya is working to lift its own," he said.

NETWORK SECURITY CONSULTANTS

Dealers in:

IT Proffessional Services

Congratulates

on the Occasion of the 2nd Anniversary

P.O.Box 11690-00100 NHIF Building, Ground Flr, Next to Equity Bank, Nairobi, Tel: 2715391, 2715407, 2715409, 2113271, 2106653 Mobile: 0723-677093, 0722331935, 0722-324493, 0723348425, Mobile: 0713-766050, 0722-985434 E-mail: info@isolutions.co.ke Website: www.isolutions.co.ke

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

historic

Gambian Lawyer Gives the ICC an African Face

BY STAFF WRITER

I

n a surprising change of heart towards the International Criminal Court, African countries including Kenya have thrown their lot with Gambian attorney Fatou Bensouda to succeed Luis Moreno-Ocampo as the next Chief Prosecutor of The Hague-based institution.

Bensouda, 50, comes to the high office with a formidable pedigree, having served as Attorney General and Justice Minister in her native Gambia before moving to the international criminal justice system.

She becomes the first African and the first woman to ascend to the high pressure position of ICC

26

December 2011 - January 2012

prosecutor and it remains to be seen whether her appointment will deflect the notion that the court is anti-Africa.

Bensouda’s appointment is a wish-come-true for the African Union, which has been unrelenting in its hostility to the Court and its activist prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo. Whether it will now become more accommodative of the Court remains to be seen.

She comes to the helm of the ICC at a time when the Court has a lot on its plate; Ivory Coast and Libya joining the growing list of cases it is investigating. Already it is prosecuting cases from Kenya,

the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Rwanda and Uganda. Syria is in its radar.

Bensouda headed the Prosecution Division of the ICC, which made her familiar with the case of the six Kenyans accused of crimes against humanity in the wake of the post-elections violence of 2007-08.

If the charges are confirmed and the case against Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Civil Service Head Francis Muthaura, Postmaster General Hussein Ali and radio presenter Joshua

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

Sang, goes to trial, she might gain the familiarity that Ocampo did in East Africa.

She is not a stranger to the region though, having served at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, where she handled the case referred to as the “Media Case” in which the court convicted Ferdinand Nahimana, Jean Bosco Barayagwiza and Hassan Ngeze.

But most probably she will not gain the notoriety that her predecessor did. Moreno-Ocampo did manage to put the Court on the international scene despite the hostility from African politicians, who accused him of being obsessed with the continent.

But one thing he cannot be denied is that more than anyone else, he has shaped the politics and pursuit of international criminal justice.

Bensouda received the big nod after her main rival for the position, Tanzanian chief justice Mohammed Chande Othman to step down when he realised that the AU had settled on the Gambia, who was Moreno-Ocampo’s deputy since September 2004.

In appointing her, the ICC, it would seem hoped to extinguish claims that the court was an extension of Europe’s colonial intensions of controlling Africa through the international criminal system.

As Bensouda moves in attention will shift back towards the tenure of the Court’s first Prosecutor, the more colourful and opinionated Ocampo, whose time has been replete with controversy.

She will also have to inherit any case that arises out of the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where tensions were on the arise ahead of the release of results of the presidential and legislative elections.

Moreno-Ocampo in his characteristic fashion has warned that

any outbreak of poll-related violence will be investigated and those found responsible prosecuted.

Congolese went to the polls on late November to cast their ballots in presidential and parliamentary elections – only the second time that the country has held multiparty polls since independence from Belgium in 1960. kinshasa

Press reports have indicated that there is growing tension in the capital, Kinshasa, as results trickle in, with at least one politician and his supporters reportedly claiming to have won.

“We are urgently requesting information from the DRC authorities on the allegations that security forces fired at demon-

strators,” said Mr. Moreno-Ocampo. “We welcome and are closely following the initiatives taken by national authorities to investigate and prosecute those responsible for such attacks against the civilian population.”

He said he was also aware of reports of violence by armed groups apparently associated with different political parties, politicians and party officials against demonstrators from other parties.

“As we have shown in both Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire, planning and executing attacks on civilians for electoral gain will not be tolerated.

This court can investigate and prosecute you if you are responsible for committing ICC crimes, irrespective of position, and irrespective of political affiliation,” said the prosecutor

December 2011 - January 2012

27

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

cross roads

Which Way for Kenyan Politics Come 2012?

Veteran political commentator and analyst KWENDO OPANGA has dusted his crystal ball after many years on the shelf and has come up with a gem.

But how many of his predictions come true remain to be seen?

presidential candidates: Left:

Peter Keneth, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, and below: Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi

K

enya’s politics will never be the same again as the country enters 2012 which is an election year.

The main reasons for the inevitable change are the demands of the new constitution and Kenya’s foray into international justice.

First, is the eagerly-awaited decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding, in particular, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto both of whom are presidential hopefuls.

If the crimes against humanity cases against them are confirmed, as appears likely, their supporters

28

December 2011 - January 2012

will be looking for alternative candidates while blaming their predicament on Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

In event the cases do not go to full trial, their triumphalism will be evident and pervade the campaigns. The PM will be vilified as the monster whose scheme to shunt them out of the way failed and who must face the music at the ballot box.

This is also for certain: After the arraignment of Mr Kenyatta, Mr Ruto, Public Service Head Francis Muthaura, Postmaster General Hussein Ali, Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey and radio host Joshua Sang’ at the ICC, no Kenyan will

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

want to go to the Hague. That is to say Kenyans will not want to be paraded before the world as masterminds of mass rape and murder, arson and displacement of populations or, briefly put, crimes against humanity.

The enduring legacy of ICC for Kenyans may be just that – a deterrent against masterminding crimes against humanity and impunity.

That means that as Kenyans prepare for the next General Election the mayhem that attended the 2007 General Election will not only be fresh in their minds but will also be kept on top of the mind by the ICC. However, in the event ICC puts paid to Mr Kenyatta’s and Mr Ruto’s, presidential hopes, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka will seek to persuade the loose G7 Alliance, to which they are associated, to back him as its presidential candidate.

It will be a hard sale, especially because the leadings lights of the Alliance, while united by the desire to keep Mr Odinga out of State House, each have their own party and are busy laying the foundations for their presidential campaigns.

That means when the Alliance announces its nominations to chose its presidential candidates, few will be surprised if some of the leaders find one reason or another to denounce the exercise and announce their runs on their own party tickets.

Second, the foregoing might point to a crowded race for the presidency, which means there may be no outright winner at the first ballot which requires that the victor garners 50 plus one per cent of the vote.

For the first time in Kenya’s history then there may be a run off the presidential poll. While this is seen by many as a recipe for heightened

raila odinga: Prime

Minister tension and a possible catalyst for poll violence, it is highly unlikely this will unite G7 to stop Mr Odinga at the first ballot.

Related to the foregoing is the equally new factor of presidential running mates. It is a matter that will engage Kenyans before, during and long after presidential candidates have named their running mates.

The reasons are clear: Mr Musyoka is the last holder of the title of Vice-President. The next government will have a Deputy President. The running mate will be Deputy President should the main ticket holder win the presidency.

The choice of running mates is likely to be made with voting blocks in mind and will itself have a bearing on the campaigns. Some will attack the choices with a view to winning over voters from one ticket to another. For example, a possible pairing of the PM with

Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi has already elicited intense interest, with detractors calling it a concentration of power in Western Kenya to the exclusion of the rest of the country.

Indeed, matters may be further complicated for Mr Odinga if it became apparent that his choice of next House Speaker would be incumbent Kenneth Marende. Well regarded Marende and Mr Mudavadi hail from Vihiga County.

Third, there will be no incumbent in the race for State House because President Kibaki is serving out his last few months. It is rare that incumbent presidents lose elections. Founding President Kenyatta never faced an election throughout his 15 years in power.

President Moi was unchallenged from 1978 when he succeeded Kenyatta and won the two multi-party polls in which he faced a fractious opposition in 1992 and 1997.

December 2011 - January 2012

For the first time in Kenya’s history then there may be a run off the presidential poll. While this is seen by many as a recipe for heightened tension and a possible catalyst for poll violence,

it is highly unlikely this will unite G7 to stop Mr Odinga at the first ballot 29 29

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

President Kibaki maintains he won the 2007 presidential poll, but Mr Odinga holds that the election was stolen from him.

Fourth, as he exits the arena, the President has declined to give the nod to any of the hopefuls angling for his blessing as a preferred heir.

If he does change his mind which appears unlikely - and name a successor, the man or woman may be saddled with a burden. He or she may be portrayed by rivals as Kibaki Mark II and one chosen to perpetuate the President’s reign in retirement.

Fifth, presidential candidates will not offer themselves for constituency seats and once in office must nominate cabinet secretaries – previously ministers – from outside the Legislature.

Previously, presidents have packed the cabinet with cronies, but this arrangement will make it difficult for the new head of state to use the cabinet for “jobs for the boys”, to reward supporters or comfort those licking their wounds after poll defeats.

And the vetting process itself could deter some from canvassing for the secretaries’ positions unless they are certain they meet all the requirements and especially the integrity test demanded by the constitution.

Sixth, the 2012 General Election will be the biggest in Kenya’s history featuring as it will races for presidency, upper and lower houses of Parliament, governors, women and minority representatives, among others.

Kenyans will be bombarded with messages from all angles as the various candidates for different seats compete for their attention.

The ballot paper will be longer and its many names, columns, colours and symbols a likely cause of confusion, need for assistance

30

left: President Mwai Kibaki and right: Retired President Daniel Arap Moi

December 2011 - January 2012

and therefore longer stay in the booth. These will combine to test the acumen of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to the limit. The voting day may be long unless voting stations and personnel will be multiplied many times over or technology used to speed up the process.

Seventh, a host of sitting MPs appear keen to abandon their seats and gun for senatorial and governor positions. Most seem to think the MPs position as Kenyans know it has been somewhat downgraded with the advent of senator and governor seats.

There is a new factor here too.

The elites in the newly-created counties have since the inauguration of the new constitution in 2010 been agitating for technocratic and business-style, rather than political, leadership of the counties.

This stems from the fact that counties will not only be expected to diligently invest the money accruing to them from the national government, but also devise reve-

nue generating and wealth creating strategies. No county will want to be left behind in development.

Eighth, the next General Election will be fought inside and outside Kenya’s borders because Kenyans resident overseas – commonly referred to as the Diaspora – will be voting.

The Diaspora is key pillar of Kenya’s foreign policy and has emerged as a key foreign exchange earner via the remittances for investment locally and most will be keen to influence implementation of policies that ensure security for their investments.

Presidential hopefuls have been making trips overseas and they are likely to intensify these visits as the campaigns get underway to ensure they get a share of the vote. The Diaspora may provide the swing vote that tilts the presidential poll a certain way.

Ninth, there is already an explosion of regional newspapers targeting county readerships alongside myriads of FM and community radio stations. With

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

local elites championing certain values and laying premium on technocratic leadership, media will be inundated with news, views and opinions. The challenge will be for media to provide plenty of accurate information to enable the candidates reach their audiences and for the electorate to make informed decisions.

There will be more titles springing up around the counties as well as out and out propaganda sheets.

Tenth, the next General Election is likely to be one where the candidates will make extensive use of internet-based so-called social or new media. Already all the presidential, senatorial and governor hopefuls and others have websites and Facebook pages.

The consensus appears to be that most of Kenya’s young people use social or new media for entertainment, to pass information and exchange ideas. Most hopefuls, therefore, seek to reach this large constituency through these networks.

There will be more titles springing up around the counties as well as

out and out propaganda sheets

For example, Mr Peter Kenneth seeks to emulate US President Barrack Obama’s use of the internet to raise funds, reach out to the Diaspora and spread his ideas and plans for Kenya’s economy.

Mr Raphael Tuju’s one-minute pitch in Sheng’ – a mixture and corruption of English, Kiswahili and local languages – elicited debate among the young people it targets on the internet.

In an attempt to reach out to the young people, Mr Ruto in November unveiled campaign kit that referred to him as a hustler.

Among Sheng’ speakers, especially in Nairobi’s Eastlands, that refers to one who works hard at all sorts of jobs to earn a living.

But, as a Nairobi columnist pointed out, according to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, a hustler is a person who tricks somebody into giving them .

The age factor will also bring about a totally new perspective to Kenya’s politics. Soon after the election, be it in August or December, Kenya will embark on preparations for its Golden Jubi-

lee (50th anniversary) in 2013. In 2012 the majority of the voters will be those who were born between 1970 (aged 42) and 1994 (aged 18).

Those born in 1960 will be 52 and those born at independence will be 50. This last grouping will be in the minority.

The younger people are not only the most productive, dynamic and energetic and most technologically savvy, but they are also the hardest hit by unemployment, despair and restlessness.

The candidate who gives them hope may be one of their own or who addresses their concerns.

Tribal alliances may not count for much among the youth that most of the hopefuls are courting.

While the internet will attract a great deal of campaign material and messages, the political rally will still be the main feature of the 2012 campaigns.

It will some time before the political rally changes from working up crowds with slogans, songs and insults to enunciation of thoughtprovoking ideas on creation of wealth and jobs

democracy: Kenyans casting their votes

December 2011 - January 2012

31 31

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

WEALTH AND STEALTH

The South Sudan Pie

Foreign interests have managed to secure some 5.74 million hectares of land for agribusiness concerns, namely agriculture, forestry, biofuels, eco-tourism and carbon trading. It is a virtual scramble…

By WANJOHI KABUKURU

E

veryone wants a piece of the pie that is Juba, South Sudan.

Almost a year before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in Nairobi Kenya intense lobbying had begun. The signing of the CPA on 9th January 2005 unleashed a frenzied scramble for Juba’s resources.

While the CPA is widely acknowledged as having initiated a new dawn in the Sudan, it also triggered off an economically hewn interest attracting both the developed and the developing nations.

The successful South Sudan secession referendum in January 2011 and eventual independence celebration cooled the frayed nerves of many who had adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

However, it is instructive that since 2005 USA, China, India, Norway, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Turkey, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa and their respective private

32

December 2011 - January 2012

sectors have been in the forefront seeking to secure business concessions with the new nation.

To make this easier and faster all these nations have embassies and consulates in both Juba and Khartoum.

Southern Sudan’s massive oil boom, tourism concessions, logging, lucrative mining and infrastructure tenders, medical supplies, education, financial services, agriculture, defense contracts and commodities supplies are a glee to many triggering what is now politically referred to as “land grab”.

The Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) commissioned investigations on the alleged “land grab” in South Sudan which culminated into a 48-page dossier dubbed “The New Frontier”. The dossier reveals that in the period 2007 to 2010 “foreign interests sought or acquired a total of 2.64 million hectares of land (6.52 million acres) in the agriculture, forestry and biofuel sectors alone.”

The report’s author, David Kuol Mading says: “That is a larger land area than the entire Rwanda. If domestic investments, tourism and conservation are added, the figure rises to 5.74 million hectares (14.17 million acres), or nine percent of Southern Sudan’s total land area.”

“With the nascent state of government, a society still reeling from years of conflict and the legal ambiguity of the transitional period, there is also a danger that this influx of investment, if left unchecked, may serve to undermine livelihoods.”

Exactly two years after the signing of the CPA, well known wildlife lobby, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), conducted an aerial survey which revealed thriving wildlife in large hordes, along the South Sudan Savannah and sudland. In comparison, WCS compared the South Sudan savannah wildlife to Tanzania’s Serengeti plains. This revelation debunked the myth that South Sudan had no wildlife and at the same gave rise to new investments interests on tourism and conservation.

Indeed the largest land deal detailed in the report is primarily hinged on wildlife conservation and tourism. It is the leasing of 2,280,000 hectares (5,631,600 acres) in Boma National Park which is situated in Jonglei state to an Emirati company Al Ain Wildlife. Under the agreement, Al Ain National Wildlife will construct high-end class hotels and tented resort camps within the park. In this stake the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) is said to have a concession of only 35 percent. Incidentally, public consultations and local community involvement were not factored in when this deal was struck.

This is followed by US firms Nile Trading and Development and Jarch Management, which

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

have leased 600,000 hectares (1,482,000 acres) in Central Equatoria state and 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres) in oil-rich Unity state for agricultural investments.

The latter scheme results from a controversial deal which was signed two years ago between Jarch, a New York-based investment house, and former warlord turned deputy commander of the SPLA General Paulino Matip.

Prince Budr Bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia has been granted a 25 year lease on some 105,000ha in Gwit for agricultural purposes. phillanthropy

According to the dossier others involved in seeking large scale land based investments in South Sudan include Central Equatoria Teak Company (UK/Finland), Madhvani (Uganda), Green Resources (Norwegian) and its South Sudan subsidiary TreeFarms, Blue Lakes (Kenyan), MAJ Foundation (Indian), Fenno Caledonian (Finnish), Citadel Group (Egyptian), and the Australian outfit Concorde Agriculture.

China National Oil Petroleum, Malaysian oil giant Petronas, Moldovian oil Company Ascom Group, India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Videsh and Sweden’s Lundin are exploring and exploiting oil in Jonglei state. According to Minority Rights Group International, French oil giant Total also holds massive oil concessions in Jonglei.

In the name of assisting the new nation come into being, the reality however showcases personal, national interest and little to do with philanthropy. Putting all these in perspective, tales of large scale bribery, underhand dealings and official malfeasance denotes the real ‘scramble for the South Sudan’.

Accusations of corrupt ministers continue to dog President Salva Kiir’s new cabinet. In more ways

than one all these factors not only affect the economies of all these countries involved but also shape their foreign policies and realign their international relations and obligations. In other words there has been a radical paradigm shift within South Sudan, largely driven by the profit motive.

Interestingly the scramble for business in Juba has seen strong African entrepreneurs pushing the limits off the savvy and more monied US, UAE, China, EU and Indian firms. Leading African nations entrenching their businesses in South Sudan include South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Egypt.

South Sudan is Uganda’s main export market, importing goods worth $184.6 million in 2009, according to the Uganda Exports Promotions Board. Kenyan exports to South Sudan were worth $157.7 million the same year. Apart from Nairobi, Kampala and Addis Ababa the other major African player in Juba is Pretoria.

South African interests in Juba kicked off in earnest in 2004 when Mechem, a subsidiary of Denel (the South African arms parastatal) began its demining operations in Southern Sudan. Mechem, known globally for its mines removal and battle grounds clearance is still undertaking its operations in Southern Sudan today. As of last year it had cleared 9050km of road removing 3237 anti personnel, unexploded ordinances (UXO), anti tank land mines. This is only a tip of the ice-berg of SA’s involvement in South Sudan. South Sudan is said to purchase much of its weaponry from Denel and even training of its key security personnel is conducted by the South African Defense Forces (SADF).

Lately South African Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have intensified their en-

gagement with Southern Sudan paving way for an influx of South African businesses making inroads in Juba. In February 2009 a Breakfast Roundtable hosted by the DFA bringing together, South African business magnates and Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) ministers opened the floodgates of the scramble for the South Sudan pie not just by private South African firms but also government parastatals.

China National Oil Petroleum, Malaysian oil giant Petronas, Moldovian oil Company Ascom Group, India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Videsh and Sweden’s Lundin are

exploring and exploiting oil in Jonglei state.

According to Minority Rights Group International

fingers

In July 2009 under the DTI-led some 20 South African public and private sector companies on a trade and investment mission to South Sudan. The 20 companies covered, telecommunications, agriculture, forestry, water purification, timber, financial services, infrastructure development, energy and minerals, SAB Miller has invested over R354 million in the South Sudan Beverages Limited.

PetroSA has oil concession rights and Global Engineering Consortium SA signed a $21 million contract with Sudan Railway Corporation. New Kush Exploration Company registered in both South Africa and UK has been awarded several exploration rights for gold and uranium in South Sudan.

At the heart of these business deals is the South AfricanSudanese Joint Business Council.

Spoornet, Denel, Arivia, Safcol, SAB Miller, Mechem among other South African entities have all dipped their fingers on Southern Sudan’s pie of timber, technology, infrastructure and defense contracts. Intensive South African interests in the Sudan are said to have nosedived during the tenure of President Thabo Mbeki. To this day Mbeki is deeply involved in the peace process of the Sudan.

He is still the chairperson of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan

December 2011 - January 2012

33 33

•PICTORIAL Lights•Camera•Action

1. President Mwai Kibaki congratulates the newly appointed High Commissioner of Bangaladesh to Kenya H.E Wahidir Rahman after he presented his credentials at State House, Nairobi.

2. President Mwai Kibaki congratulates the newly appointed Israel ambaasador to Kenya, H.E Gil Haskel during the presentation of his credentials at State House, Nairobi.

3. President Mwai Kibaki receives credentials from the newly appointed Sri Lanka High commissioner to Kenya, H.E T. Raveethiran at State House, Nairobi.

4. President Mwai Kibaki receives credentials from the newly appointed Ambassador of Belgium to Kenya H.E Burt Ouvry at State House, Nairobi.

5. President Mwai Kibaki congratulates the newly appointed Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran to Kenya H.E Malek Hossein Givzad after he presented his credentials at State House, Nairobi.

6. President Mwai Kibaki with the newly appointed Ambassadors and High Commisioners from left H.E T. Raveethiran (Sri Lanka), H.E Ferdinand Montncho (Benin), H.E Anna Brita Sofie (Finland), H.E Reintjes Theodorus Antonius (Netherlands),H.E Wahidur Rahman (Bangladesh), H.E Gil Haskel (Israel),H.E Marek Libricky (Czesh),H.E Bert Ouvry (Belgium) and H.E Mokhtar Chaouachi (Tunisia) after they presented their credentials at State House, Nairobi. On the Preisdent's left is the Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Thuita Mwangi.

34

December 2011 - January 2012

•PICTORIAL

Lights•Camera•Action

7. President Mwai Kibaki congratulates the newly appointed Netherlands ambassador to Kenya, H.E Theodorus Antonius after he presented his credentials at State House, Nairobi.

8. INTO UNIVERSITIES: Marcela Ortiz (right) the INTO Universities Regional Manager for Africa, discusses opportunities for higher education with Amin Abdi Mohamed (centre) and Hassan Osman Awil (left) during an interview session held at the International Education Centre (IEC) at Centro House, Westlands. INTO is a pathway provider to eight leading universities in the UK and two in the USA. 9. President Mwai Kibaki bids farewell to the outgoing British High Commissioner to Kenya H.E. Rob Macaire who called on him at his Harambee House office, Nairobi.

10. Veteran Nigerian actress, Clarion Chukwurah with Kenyan actress Caroline Kipsuto in Nairobi

December 2011 - January 2012

35 35

•PICTORIAL

Lights•Camera•Action

11. Toshihisa Takata Ambassador of Japan 12 & 13. Paintings by respected indian artist Jagdish Jaiswar, who is also the advertising consultant at Kenindia Assurance Company 14. GASTROENTEROLOGY WORKSHOP: Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi in conjunction with the Gastroenterology Society of Kenya held a two-day workshop to update doctors, nurses and healthcare workers on recent advances in the field of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Smita Devani (left) , a Gastroenterologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital is shown the latest endoscopy equipment by Dipen Rajani (right) , Director of Asterisk.

36

December 2011 - January 2012

•THE REGION Eastern Africa Beat

CROWN JEWEL

Sudan: A Burgeoning Land of Opportunities Sudan presents itself in the upcoming era as a pillar of regional and international stability, as a land of great opportunities and unlimited capabilities

By JANE MWANGI

J

uly 9 marked the period of the second republic in Sudan’s history after the citizens of south Sudan chose to separate and create a new state in the aftermath of the referendum in January 2011 in accordance with the CPA. As this great country moves forward to a new era in its great history, it is determined to make the end of the old entity a new start for the Sudanese state and the Sudanese people in accordance with a well-studied strategy and specific goals.

With a population of over 33.4 million people, Sudan is the 35th biggest country in the World, 3rd in the Arab world and 9th in Africa.

It is located in north East Africa with the River Nile as the most dominant feature of its geography, constituting 67.4 per cent of the country’s total area.

Its unique geographical location has always made it a trading and cultural bridge between northern and southern Africa as well as between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, particularly west and east Africa.The current people of Sudan descend from a mixture of many ethnicities and groups; most notable are Arabs/African Hamites while 96.7 per cent of the population is Muslim.

Vastly rich in natural resources such as petroleum, Sudan’s economy is amongst the fastest growing in the world. Rich mineral

resources available include: petroleum, natural gas, gold, silver, chromite, asbestos, manganese, gypsum, mica, zinc, iron, lead, uranium, copper, kaolin, cobalt, granite, nickel, tin and aluminium. The World Bank classified Sudan among the fastest recovering economies from the World financial crisis. According to its 2011 estimates, based on performance, Sudan came third after Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Sudan presents itself in the upcoming era as an element of regional and international stability, as a land of great opportunities and unlimited capabilities for producing food, as it has abundant fertile lands, water and human resources, with abundant fertile lands, water and human resources with an under 30 age group that represents 61.7 per cent of the population. Agriculture is the leading and most relied on sector in the unexpected development renaissance in Sudan representing about 31.6 per cent of the GDP and contributing to 9 per cent of the country’s non-oil exports.

The country is entering a period of industrious determination and awareness of its capable human resources and abundant and diverse natural resources which represent a source of power for any developing nation. Sudan seeks to properly make use of and manage these resources as

With a population of over 33.4 million people,

Sudan is the 35th biggest country in the World, 3rd in the Arab world and 9th in Africa

it has willingly chosen peace in order to harness these resources it has long waited to depend on, because of a war it had been tied to since before independence in 1956, until the comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005.

The Sudanese armed forces are ranked third in Africa by the African Union and 44th worldwide while its military is ranked fourth in Africa after South Africa, Egypt and Algeria. On the other hand the banking industry has been functioning as a non-usurious sector since 1983, administered by the Central Bank of Sudan.

There are 39 operating banks and 586 branches with the volume of foreign direct investment totalling to 824 million dollars.

Telecommunication is the newest sector in Sudan with Zain, Sudani and MTN being the major telcom companies. The country has slightly over 11 million internet users. The media industry is very vibrant with 16 state and 14 private radio stations in addition to 19 state compared to 6 private television channels. In the area of press journalism, the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) happens to be one of the oldest news agencies in Africa and the Arab world.

The country currently has 52 newspapers and 364 specialised publications. Sudan has survived many challenges in its ancient and contemporary histories and each time it comes out stronger and more united.

A member of the United Nations, Sudan also maintains membership of the African Union, the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as serving as an observer in World Trade Organisation. Its capital is Khartoum, which serves as the political, cultural and commercial centre of the nation. The country’s forward looking scope depicts an image of sustenance and stability in the years ahead

December 2011 - January 2012

37 37

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

Fostering Richer, Closer Ties BETTER DAYS

Kenya and South Africa enjoy warm relations, with trade and the number of students heading south increasing over the years.

DEA’s CAROL KIIRU engages SA ambassador to Kenya HE TONY GAB MSIMANGA on the possibility of buttressing this cooperation and widening its scope. Pictures by YAHYA MOHAMED

38

December 2011 - January 2012

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

D

IPLOMAT EAST AFRICA: Your Excellency, please tell us about the areas of trade between South Africa and Kenya on the one hand and with the rest of the East African Community on the other.

A: The area of trade between South Africa and Kenya has focused mainly around primary base metals such as iron and steel. Others are machinery and mechanical appliances electrical in nature, chemicals, vehicles, plastics, wood, prepared foodstuffs such as beverages, spirits, vehicle products, mineral products, textiles and textile articles. In addition there are live animals and their products as well as works of art.

As for the region, areas of trade follow a very similar pattern with base metals, machinery, mechanical appliances, pulp of wood, chemicals, vehicles, prepared foodstuffs, plastics, textile and vegetable products.

Q: Could you kindly share with us the volumes involved?

A: The value of trade between South Africa and Kenya was 741 billion rands in 2009 and 466 billion rands in 2010.

Q: More specifically, what does Kenya import from South Africa and vice versa?

A: Kenya’s principle imports from South Africa are base metals, machinery, mechanical appliances, products of the chemical or allied industries, vehicles, aircraft, vessels, plastics and articles thereof, prepared foodstuffs, vegetable products, textiles and textile articles.

As for South Africa we import vegetable products, products of the chemical or allied industries, plastics and articles thereof, prepared food stuffs, live animals, animal products, works of art

(handicrafts), raw hides and skins and miscellaneous manufactured articles.

Q: Is there any cooperation in the area of tourism, in which SA is a key player and a major competitor to Kenya and East Africa?

A: Yes, there is a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Governments signed in August 2009. The MOU mandates the Tourism Ministries in both countries to establish a joint committee that would ensure the effective implementation of the agreement. This co-operation agreement is wide ranging and includes exchange of scholarships and fellowships through teaching programmes, shared education and training courses, shared efforts in promoting investment within tourism in both countries, plus tourism exhibition and cultural exchanges.

Q: Recently, there was a trade dispute over the export of horticultural products from Kenya to SA. Has the matter been resolved?

A: I take it that you are referring to the exports of avocados to South Africa. As far as South Africa is concerned there is no ban on exports of the said commodity to South Africa as long as Kenyan avocado exporters meet the SPS requirements as agreed. It was just a particular consignment that was found to contain fruit flies which are considered to be harmful pests that can cause havoc to fruit production in any country in which any government would guard against it through their plant inspectorate bodies.

This matter has been taken up by the Joint Trade Commission incorporating both countries who have also engaged their respective plant inspectorates to come up with an agreed protocol, sign and implement it in order to address the matter.

As for Kenyans studying in South Africa the total number of study permits issued has increased.

They range from 589 in 2009, 598 in 2010 and 611 in 2011

Q: SA has recently become a popular destination for Kenyan students seeking university education, and for medical purposes.

Could you kindly expound?

A: Overall the number of international students studying at South African Universities has increased from 12600 in 1994 to 16784 in 2010. With respect to Non-SADC country citizens studying in South Africa, this has increased from 1521 to 10986 students in 2010.

As for Kenyans studying in South Africa the total number of study permits issued has increased. They range from 589 in 2009, 598 in 2010 and 611 in 2011.

Q: In the light of the large number of Kenyans seeking either educational opportunities/medical or business opportunities in your country, do you have plans to ease up visa requirements?

A: Even though we have understanding for the concerns of Kenyan travelers it should be recognised that the South African High Commission in Nairobi has set a very good record with respect to issuing of visas. Visas are issued within a maximum of three days and there are no fees attached.

There is also a provision made for the issuing of long-term visas for frequent travelers which include government officials and business persons traveling on ordinary passports.

Generally the process has improved and only in Kenya does the process take up to 48 hours. To a very large extent we have eased the requirements.

Q: Turning to continental matters, where SA is a key player; what are your views on the violence that has affected North Africa due to the Arab Spring of discontent?

A: I think the Arab spring is a culmination of discontent and con-

December 2011 - January 2012

39 39

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

tradictions between the populace and the leadership. When you see the inconsistency intensifying, the democratic space, economic and civil liberties becoming limited, tension is bound to exist. You will find an eruption once these freedoms become affected. Having come from a country where the divide between the government and the governed is vast it blew up and a lot happened. This stated I believe the country should find within themselves solutions that are all inclusive as possible to avoid a repeat.

Let the people feel that they are part of the system because at the end of the day you must live together and as South Africa this was the biggest lesson learnt.

Q: In particular, what are your views on the violent regime changes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and in particular, the brutal killing of Muammar Gadhafi?

A: Well the killing of Gadhafi was unfortunate because as I said you need an all inclusive solution. With the revolution there was need to get a morally enlightened society.

There needs to be a system where the rule of the land applies across the board. We as South Africa expected Gadhafi to go through the legal system like any other person because it lays a foundation of believing in a society that is ruled by law. If you are going to capture a person and then take the law in your hands to just kill without facing the judicial process in my view it doesn’t augur well.

Having said that, we must find a way forward. We are saying that the country should find an all inclusive process to build a new country. Who decides the leaders are the citizens themselves and as so they should exercise their rights and there should be no external regime change.

40

Q: In your view Sir, did NATO and the US Government go beyond the UN Resolution calling for the protection of civilians? Has a dangerous precedent been set?

A: South Africa voted for the resolution of the Security Council. It called for protection of the civilians and not a regime change and we are on record expressing our sincere and profound horror that the resolution was used for the later with little being done to safeguard the civilians.

We are quite concerned that this should not be a precedent because we were very keen to see the road map suggested by the African Union (AU) take off. It seemed the Security Council resolution was then used as the spring board for regime change. The NATO campaign did not provide for a political solution but they employed the military campaign. We are prepared to help bring peace.

Q: What are your views on Kenya war in Somalia against the Al Shabaab militia? Shouldn’t the rest of the continent through the African Union taken a stronger stand against the militia?

A: Kenya has taken a strong stand against any terror threats against its country and as any nation would do this is to be applauded. The AU is backing up the insurgence of such groups and Kenya is reacting to this. The Kenyan government has a role to play to its citizens and once the security is breached there is bound to be a reaction. African Union has taken a stand on Al Shabaab and African Union forces are in Somalia in an attempt to remove the insurgence group.

Q: Please tells about SA’s role in BRICS and the G20; how can the rest of the continent benefit from its membership?

A: South Africa represents the con-

December 2011 - January 2012

South African ambassador to Kenya HE Tony Gab Msimanga receives a copy of the Best of Kenya Volume II from Global Village Publisher's Commercial Director Simon Mugo

tinent on this platform though we have been keen to see more countries in the BRICS and the G20. Our role is to forward the issues of the continent and struggle to make sure that the continent’s matters are listened to. We work to have the continent be part of the issues addressed in the meetings and so South Africa is the voice of the continent.

Q: Turning to Regional Economic Communities such as the EAC, COMESA and SADC; isn’t the risk of duplication and conflicting tariff regimes an impediment to business and trade in the continent? Take Tanzania as an example; it is a member of the EAC/ SADC but not of the COMESA like its partners in the EAC. What are

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

the Dalai Lama a visa recently to attend Bishop Desmond Tutu’s birthday?

A: We did not deny him a visa rather he withdrew his application during the process of verifying the papers. We are on record saying that that was not the case. It has nothing to do with any influence from any other countries.

South Africa is an independent state and as such there was no reason for the country to deny the Dalai Lama a visa. We have our own policies and politics of the day do not influence the decision of South Africa

hannesburg when they pushed for three instead of five years to have an agreement for the head of states to consider.

So the intense negotiations are ongoing now to meet the deadline.

We have to get it right with Africa being a one trillion market. We have to tap into this and make it beneficial for us in Africa.

your views?

A: There has been a forum of regional integration that now negotiations have started in earnest. We want to have one free trade area and all regional trade organisations will work as one and therefore do away with all these problems.

Even in SADC we do have members who are also members in COMESA and so on. But considering also the little intra-trade happening within Africa which is about less than 10 per cent simply because we do not trade with one another and various tariff regimes is not healthy. If we compare with other continents, the intra-trade happening at the EU which is 80 per cent and Asia is about 50 percent.

That means something is not right with our own tariffs and it should be addressed appropriately.

I was happy with the summit in Jo-

Q: Please tell us about SA’s role in BRICS and the G20. How can the rest of the continent benefit from its membership?

A: South Africa represents the continent on this platform though we have been keen to see more countries in the BRICS and the G20. The priorities of SA on foreign policy are the African agenda and southsouth cooperation. We believe that being in BRICS together with other countries of the south that have got similar challenges that we do, in terms of democratisation of international economic system, we bring in an African perspective on how we think these things should be done.

It gives us an opportunity to engage fellow developing countries of the south on how we want the democratisation to be addressed.

Our role is to forward the issues of the continent and struggle to make sure that the continent’s matters are as well listened to.

We work to have the continent be part of the issues addressed in the meetings and so South Africa is the voice of the continent. Africa’s main issue is development and as such the decisions taken as G20 or in BRICS should reflect that African agenda.

Q: China is a major economic player in Africa; some would say too big a player to the extent that it influences policies and politics in the continent. Is that the reason why your government denied

bio data MA degree (Penal Law, Public International Law, Private International Law and International Relations), University of Sofia, Diplomatic Training in France, Belgium, United Kingdom and Norway, Senior Diplomatic Training Course, Department of Foreign Affairs History teacher as Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College, Tanzania, Chairperson, ANC Youth in Tanzania, Administrative Secretary, ANC Mission, Tanzania, Secretary, ANC Regional Political Committee, Tanzania, Deputy Chief Representative of ANC in Australia and New Zealand, Chief Representative of the ANC, Australia and New Zealand, Deputy Director, Latin America Desk, Department of Foreign Affairs, Counsellor, Embassy of South Africa, Washington DC, Minister, Embassy of South Africa, Washington DC, Chief Director: Americas, Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Director-General: Americas and Europe Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs, South African Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the People’s Republic of China, Republic of Mongolia and Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea, South African High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya GENERAL Chair: Steering Committee, ANC Youth Regional Conference, Vice-Chair: Organising Committee, Anti-Apartheid Conference, Sydney, Australia, Chairperson: Secretariat and member of the Technical Inauguration Committee of the President, Chairperson: Technical Inauguration Committee of the President

December 2011 - January 2012

41 41

Volume 2 Its Right,

Bright and Brilliant

BRANDING A COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE

The Perfect Gift for Year 2012...

Global Village Publishers (E.A.) Ltd, p.o.box 23399 - 00625, Nairobi Vision Plaza, Ground Floor, Suite 19, Mombasa Road.

Tel: 020 2525253/4/5, 0722 401739, 0722 787345

www.gvpedia.com

•DNA

Security Special Report

I

nsecurity and crime is costing the Kenyan economy an estimated Sh4billion annually, says security experts, with most city residents paying for private security for their homes, business premises, installations and buildings.

But the figure is said to be quiet conservation if the costs of insurance, installation of security gadgets such as CCTV, burglar proofing and hiring of police escort by private firms is also calculated.

For example, in 2007, the total economic loss of crimes both reported and unreported was put at Ksh2 billion for violent crime and about the same amount for property crime.

Yet five years later in 2011, there is no discernible improvement in security both in Nairobi and other major urban Kenyan centres to suggest that the losses have dropped.

This has created the impression that the rate of crime in Kenya is high and the sense of insecurity appears to be at its worst during the end of year holiday season.

Most diplomats who spoke to Diplomat East Africa say they have invested heavily in private security.

But this is a concern shared by both the business community and city residents.

A recent survey of the security situation in Nairobi indicated that 58 per cent of businesses said they felt unsafe, while 43 per cent said that crime actually posed a threat to their business operations.

For the non-business community, 54 per cent said they felt unsafe when conducting their activities in Nairobi. Another survey by the UN in Nairobi indicated that criminal activities are dominated by violent robbery, mugging, burglary and carjacking.

The business community, people on the streets and households identified violent robbery as the major crime affecting society. In Nairobi,

Insecurity Costs Economy Heavily

BY STAFF WRITER

the most common crime in the city centre is mugging, while violent robberies are prevalent in households.

Crime has a temporal concentration and can take place at any time of day between 7am and 7pm. They is also more criminal activity during weekends and than during weekdays.

Crime also tends to peak during the end of the month and during the last quarter of the year, which coincides with the holiday season.

Indeed, the general security of residences and businesses determines location. About 59 per cent of households make security arrangements before settling in, while another 68 per cent view security infrastructure as important when choosing places of residence or business.

Crime also affects socialisation patterns and when certain activities can be carried out.

This has turned sharp focus on the private security industry, which has shown a sharp growth. There are three types of security arrangement prevalent in Nairobi and other major urban Kenyan cities and towns.

These are professionally managed and run security firms whose guards have some police or military training; guards employed informally by estate residents and watchmen employed individually to guard residences and business premises who have no training or security background.

Each of these arrangements has a bearing on how secure a premise is, cost of insurance and the sense of safety that the residents enjoy.

The diplomatic community as a rule uses the bigger, better established

security companies. But how do they settle on one? Through referrals, testimonials and police advise, they say.

This, therefore, makes it extremely importance for security companies to be run in a professional and transparent manner for earn reputational capital, which can see them get positive referrals.

“Its all about word of mouth,” said a consular official who did not want to be named. “Nothing kills the reputation of a security company than someone hinting at a cocktail or diplomatic function, that they came home at night and found their security guard either sleeping or missing.”

This has forced the bigger, better established security firms to invest heavily in training and supervision of their guards

We offer professional services in: • Security guard services • Installation of alarms and security systems • Cash Management Services • Electric Fencing • Dog Patrols • Telecommunication Systems • CCTV-Access control • Courier Services • Rapid Response/ Alarm Backup Services

December 2011 - January 2012

43 43

•DNA

Security Special Report

safety

Security Matters The proliferation of illegal small arms in the region has posed challenges for providers of security services. How can the people ensure their own security and how can community programmes be made effective?

By CAROL KIIRU

D

IPLOMAT EAST AFRICA: How can the general security of Kenyans be achieved?

ROCKY HITCHCOCK : The security can be achieved if Kenyans come together and co-operate with one another. I think security is a perception. I say this in regard to the environment where one is at present. If you take pride in your area then the security in the said area feels safe. For instance the leafy suburbs seem safer than the slum areas since the perception of the two places are different.

Security is therefore achieved if and when we work on embracing our community and this leads to a safer place to live in.

Q: What are the basics in ensuring an ordinary Kenyan is safe at whatever time?

A: If one is in control or rather alert then the person tends to be careful. You need to be aware of your surroundings in order to be able to understand how safe you are. That said, situation awareness is key in ensuring one’s safety. Understanding

44

December 2011 - January 2012

Rocky Hitchcock: Senior Security Consultant

one self and the situation at present ensures that you can react in case of anything.

The thing to remember is that when attacked you should co-operate. Don’t feel like you have to be the hero in the situation. Take time to understand your attackers and don’t push their buttons.

Avoid areas that are attack-prone and ensure people know of your whereabouts. You don’t need to carry your ATM card all the time and if you don’t have it then robbers can’t use it.

Q: What challenges does the KK Security Company face in its operations, at present, and how are they being addressed?

A: This is a typical thing in any business and when you deal with one challenge, another presents itself. That said, KK is a very expensive venture because of the services rendered. The company factors in various costs incurred. The service is a bit expensive on the common man and for us to be able to provide this service we have to consider all factors.

We train our staff properly, almost military like, and therefore our

employees are not just a common “watchman.” Proper training ensures that the service given is at best and that translates to the fee paid.

Q: Does the company Co-operate with the police in any of its operations? And if it does, how does it do this?

A: Our collaborations are at a low level.We only engage them after a scenario presents itself and they come in to basically do their work. We do have an inter-sec call when something happens and this is to other such like companies to come and assist if the situation proves hard.

Q: Do you think that private security officers are inadequately equipped?

A: Yes most are. Fortunately for us I believe we are not due to the kind of training we give. If you look at the majority of Kenyans, you will realise that they get people to work as watchmen. These are just ordinary people with no real training and therefore they do not know really how to handle the situation.

The role of an officer is to detect

•DNA

Security Special Report

an intruder, but not to die for the client. This is a factor an employer needs to consider therefore giving proper training is a must.

Q: Do you think that we should arm private guards?

A: No. If a guard is manning an entrance and is provided for a gun it sends out a message that the place is not safe. Translate this to a hotel. This means there will be less people wanting to come and stay there.

There is no reason for that as the guard is not a police officer but a security officer.

Q: Please comment on the high presence of small arms and light weapons in the country and region and their effect on insecurity. What is the way forward?

A: The small arms have been all over the continent. For us to eradicate this I believe we should focus on stopping the production of these arms like AK-47 and other such like arms that are so easily available.

Through this we will stop the supply of weapons eventually as the production process has been cut.

Small arms proliferation is vast and wide thus the state of insecurity in nations. But if you are unarmed the use of weapons decreases.

Q: Are private security services affordable to the ordinary person?

A: No. They don’t need to be costly because these services can be very much affordable. For instance the communities or residents in an estate can come together and buy this service with the residents paying monthly. The cost of installing a system is easy and if triggered then they can liaise with the police in their area so when it goes off it is a simultaneous effect.

Q: There are times when society, by taking matters security into their own hands, has come up with neighborhood watch arrangements. Are

(top) KK Canine Centre, (above) KK Security Ambulance

such undertakings effective?

A: Yes I believe they are effective if backed up by professionals. In most areas people know each other and, as such, they can easily tell when an intruder comes in. By keeping watch for each other we enhance security.

These community strategies are a plus for the security to be enhanced.

Such endeavors should be undertaken but supported by the professionals: both security officers and the authorities Our product portfolio includes: Security Officers, Security Dogs, Electronic Security Solutions, Alarms, Integrated, Access Control, Close Protection, Security Escort Services, Event Safety & Security, Fire & Rescue, Cash Management, Facilities Management, Vehicle Tracking & Monitoring among others. We provide services in East & Central Africa Our Contacts are: PO Box 14662 - 00800, Nairobi Tel: (020) 4245000, Mobile: 0734-622226, 0722-205502 Email: kknairobi@kksecurity.com,Website: www.kksecurity. com

December 2011 - January 2012

45 45

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

crown jewel

The West Coast of Kenya; a Land of Discovery

BY CORRESPONDENT

WETERN DESTINATION:

Takawiri Island is a sandy beach in Lake Victoria. It can be reached by road from Kisumu via Homabay to Mbita and by ferry from Luanda K’otieno beach, which is 45 -minute ride on the lake ferry.

46

K

enya is popular and preferred tourist destination to many.

Kenya is known for being the most visited country for wildlife tours and safaris among the five East Africa Countries now branded the East African Community.

Kenya is known and is famous for wildebeest annual migration – The New 7th Wonder of the World which takes place between July and October, annually.

However, there are other parts in Kenya which are less visited by tourists but at the same time are more touristic than most visited tourist circuits. One among these is the West Coast of Kenya – The Lake Victoria Gulf, which encom-

December 2011 - January 2012

passes Kisumu City, Mbita , Kendu Bay and Homa Bay areas, not to mention Kamito Beach, which is well-known for fishing and other excursions.

Already tour operators like the case of Victoria Safaris having discovered these virgin touristic circuits – The West Coast of Kenya – are booking tourists to these rich touristic areas. The most visited in this region is the Mbita Area, which is now open for tourists who would want to do surfing, swimming, boat riding, bird watching and having an exclusive beach resort stay. From Mbita Point there is the magnificent Lake Victoria Safari Village, which is a tourist resort owned and managed by a Norwegian by name Odd Bredo,

who fell in love on his first visit, never to return to Norway, due to the natural resource, untapped virgin touristic site.

Activities

The area is also rich in bird life which is found on the two main islands from Mbita Point thus, Mholo and Mbasa Islands. These are the bird islands and on these islands, there are millions of birds of different species well admired by those who visit them. The view of these birds is by boat and clients are instructed not to step on the island due to conservation of the ecosystem, but view the same from their seats in the boats.

The Mbita Lake Victoria Safari Village offers several rooms with

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

luxurious accommodation facilities, fine cuisine which includes local and western dishes.

This place is also good for corporate team building activities, sport fishing the famous Tilapia and Nile perch, hippo hunting by camera, night fishing expeditions accompanied by local residents when they are fishing the famous “omena” which is the fingerlings caught by night using floating lanterns.

Tourists can have night fishing as they do have night game drives in the Kenyan wilderness. Cultural visits can be arranged for those who want to enjoy cultural experiences without having a cultural shock.

These includes staying overnight amongst the inhabitants while sharing with them their daily chores. From this place, one can also visit the famous Abasuba Community Peace Museum on Mfangano Island which is famous for rock paintings. One can also visit the famous “Thimlich Ohinga” Heritage Site which is a cultural stone wall in the nearby where you will be told the folklore of why the rocks were arranged on line.

From Mbita Point, tourists are able to access the famous Ruma National Park which is a few kilometers away. This park is famous for the endangered Roan Antelope which is found in this park alone in Kenya among other animals.

Daily luxury boat rides can be arranged by Victoria Safaris for the use of the only luxurious motorboat powered by 200 horsepower engine driven by none other than the owner of the Lake Victoria Safari Village.

The sandy beach

The West Coast of Kenya offers perfect honeymoon for honeymooners since the beaches are exclusive and not polluted. The

sandy beaches have soft white sand better than what you see in Mombasa or other coastlines since the water of Lake Victoria is fresh and has no salt at all. Lake Victoria Safari Village Resort offers a magnificent honeymoon suite in its lighthouse facing the Lake shore and this offers a fantastic sunsets.

The beaches have no beach boys as such safety is guaranteed.

In other parts of this West Coast, the sandy beaches are cropped with the Palm Trees and in the neighbourhood, you will locate the defunct Takawiri Island Resort which has not been in operation for about 10 years. At its shore, the sandy beach at this resort offers a fantastic walking and swimming experience.

Reaching there

A journey to the West Coast of Kenya starts from Kisumu City by road through to Ndori and consequently to Lwanda K’Otieno Beach, where one takes the famous Mbita Ferry for 45 minutes to Mbita Point.

The other route by road is from Kisumu City past Katito Junction through to Kendu Bay then to Homa Bay and consequently to Rongo and then to Mbita Point.

The former is tarmacked while the latter is under construction.

For up-market clients, flights are taken from Nairobi, Maasai Mara or elsewhere and the airstrips are at Mfangano Island and Rusinga Island. There are two luxury lodges in each of these two islands which can take the upmarket clients.

From Kisumu City, Dunga beach, one can take a boat ride across the gulf to Mbita Point which offers a boat adventure trip.

The trip takes at least three hours depending on the horsepower of the boat engine

December 2011 - January 2012

47

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

D

IPLOMAT EAST AFRICA: The Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company was recently awarded an ISO 9001:2008 re-certification.

What does this mean in the company’spursuit to offer quality service to its customers?

MR GICHUKI: The ISO certification means that we have procedures in place which we follow that are earmarked to consistently improve on quality. This means that we have a quality management system, which stemmed from a strategic decision to position ourselves to exceed customer expectations by offering quality service. We are always looking at how we can improve from one situation to a better one.

turning on the taps

Keeping the Water Running The Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company continues to position itself as customer-focused and results-oriented. DEA’S JANE MWANGI, engages ACTING MD, PHILIP GICHUKI on the task of providing sustainable water and sewerage services to city residents

48

December 2011 - January 2012

Q: The company has received numerous awards, among them the Africities Award – In recognition of working towards the provision of sustainable water under the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Tell us your contribution to enable the country meet the goals.

A: We are very focused in supplying water in areas where we don’t have the services as well as the sanitation facilities because these are the key issues in the MDG’s. We have formed a department that focuses on the informal settlement areas where we have a myriad of challenges mainly surrounding the lack of services. The department is tasked with the mandate to improve water accessibility to these areas. There are a number of unique social issues to be dealt with, which cannot be done conventionally, so this department has to come up with ways of how to handle them.

Q: How is the current status of water in Nairobi and its environs? And what is the company

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

doing to solve Nairobi’s rampant water shortages?

A: The water supply is satisfactory but yes, we have some shortage because everyday we bring about 500 million litres of water but the demand is about 670 million litres and that shortfall definitely results in some constraints in supply. If you share the 500 million litres amongst the population of 3.2 million Nairobi residents you find that at least every person is able to get about 140 litres per day.

It is good; a fair amount of water for the city of Nairobi as there are quite a number of cities in the World that are able to survive within that limit.

Q: Tell us what measures you are taking to curb Illegal connections along the water distribution lines?

A: We want to minimise this by ensuring that we have proper surveillance on the ground and we have done quite a bit in this area.

We are beefing up the department directly responsible for this.

Q: What steps has the Company taken to ensure the safety of its water?

A: We are keen to ensure that as the water gets out of the plant, it meets all standards of drinking laid down by the World Health Organisation (WHO). We have a monitoring system of ensuring that we screen the water at all times. The challenge comes in when there are underground tanks that have been constructed by people, for instance during the rainy season.

The incidences of contamination of water are so many and also the tanks in the homestead which stay too long before they are cleaned hence becoming another source of contamination.

Because of the intermittent provision of water, sometimes (although in very rare occasions) incidents of rain water getting into

the pipe system occur. Whenever that happens, we rectify that situation immediately, making sure that we disinfect the whole affected area network in order to ensure people get proper and safe water.

Q: Currently, of the three million residents of Nairobi, only 50 per cent have direct access to piped water. What are you doing to ensure that this percentage goes up?

A: The challenge has to do with informal settlements. We are using innovative means such as water kiosks, stand points manned by the community and also charged for a fee, for sanitation. We provide ablution blocks which also serve as water points.

Q: Nairobi is expanding at an exponential rate. What are you do-

ing to cope with this expansion?

A: There are a number of measures in place; one is to address the issue of the old dilapidated infrastructure - the water conveyance and how to renew it in order to ensure that we minimise losses hence being able to serve more people with the same amount of water. We are talking to other stakeholders to ensure it is prioritised.

Q: Ndakaini dam supplies continuous reliable water to Nairobi.

Are you looking to develop any other sources?

A: We are considering new water sources. This, of course, concerns the government and may require developing new water reservoirs, bigger than what we have.

Ndakaini is one of the biggest reservoirs currently at 70 million cubic metres but we need others that are superior to that. We also want

December 2011 - January 2012

49

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

to tap more rivers in order to bring more water to Nairobi and this is what we call northern collectora project being financed by the World Bank. I want to encourage Nairobi residents to think about water harvesting at the individual level to lower demand from our system. They can tap that for nonconsumption purposes.

Q: Nairobi Water Company has been giving customers tips to help conserve the available water.

Do customers heed this advice?

A:They may be listening to us but not to a large extent. We have done a consumer analysis and established that majority of our consumers consume, on average, about 4 cubic metres of water per month, which is little as it is less than 200 litres per day maybe per homestead or per the particular connection. This means that they are minimising the amount of water consumed. Some may argue that it is because these people are not getting water every day but these are actually people who are within the area we supply 24/7.

The extent to which conserving water has been adopted is not much but what is more disturbing is when you go to commercial buildings and facilities such as hotels. The facilities you get there are not water conservators. These are the areas that as a company we need to continue enlightening on the need to conserve water because incidentally these are the big consumers and if they consume less we may be able to save more.

Q: In line with your mission of providing sustainable water and sewerage services that exceed customer needs, have you forged any alliances with donor partners in order to broaden your scope?

50

A: Wehave a number of development partners who work with us namely, the French government though the AFB, recently the German government through GIZ of whom we have partnered with in quite a number of projects and soon also German’s KFW. We have African Development Bank (ADB), European Union (EU) who are assisting us a lot in the informal settlements arena.

Q: With the formation of the environment department by the company, how is it working to improve environmental standards especially with regard to industrial waste and its impact on the natural environment?

A: One of the main challenges we have in Nairobi is the waste from the industries which are neither properly monitored nor regulated.

We want to apply the 3P’s- the Polluter Pay Principle. We have tasked the environment department to come up with a mechanism of applying the 3P’s principle which, we hope, will encourage the industries to do more treatment of their waste water before they discharge it into our system. This will also enforce the rules of discharging into our sewer lines so that it complies with what has been set by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). I have heard from some of the big consumers such as Kenya Breweries Limited about plans to consume less during production. This is certainly encouraging.

Q: Going into 2012, what is your message for the consumers?

A: The consumers should assis pay up promptly and use official avenues so as not fall prey to fraudsters

December 2011 - January 2012

TANZANIA AT 50 East Africa’s gentle giant, Tanzania has just turned 50, and as the region joins in celebrating the landmark event; its example in maintaining unity in diversity should provide a salutary lesson to a neighbourhood afflicted by ethnic and tribal conflict.

Tanzania’s size covers the same area as Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy combined, with 123 ethnic groups, continues to be a shinning example of the African spirit of communalism and a beacon of hope for the process of nation-building and economic awakening in the region.

Despite hotly contested elections, Tanzania has managed to move from one peaceful political transition to another. Indeed, it one of the peaceful countries in Africa where retired president walk comfortably on the streets.

This is greatly attributed to the late founding President Julius Kambarage Nyerere, who was just 39 years old when he led Tanganyika to independence on 9 December 1961.

It might have the economic of either Kenya or Uganda, but in terms of political maturity and development, it is miles ahead of its East African neighbours. Focussed leadership in maximising Tanzania’s immense, untapped potential is what many argue, will be the difference in realising the country’s Vision 2025 and if the present GDP growth remains the same, the land of Kilimanjaro could well over take Kenya as the region’s largest economy by 2030. For Tanzania to do so, it is argued that the government must focus on three main sectors: agriculture, mining and energy.

Tothisend,JakayaKikwete’sadministrationiscurrently working on several key projects, including: a highvoltage cross border electricity transmission system: the Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya Interconnection, a gas pipeline linking natural gas reserves in Songo Songo Island with the capital Dar es Salaam, aggressive oil and gas exploration in Tanzania’s Indian Ocean with both local and international firms, not forgetting that Tanzania is ranked as the world’s fourth largest gold producer and the sole producer of the tanzanite gemstone (a mineral far more rare than diamonds).

Invariably, the road ahead will be long and hard if Tanzania hopes to conquer the “three enemies” that Nyerere identified at post-independence: “Ignorance, Poverty and Disease.”. Therefore, responsible leadership at all levels will be critical in ensuring that Tanzania remains on track with its human and economic development strategy as encapsulated in Vision 2025.

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

FIRM GRIP

Kenya and Slovakia Partner for Progress

H E MILAN ZACHAR, the outgoing Slovakian Ambassador to Kenya describes his tour of duty in the region and speaks about his agenda of promoting trade and commerce besides appreciating the warm people, pleasant climate and enchanting landscape. Our writer, CAROL KIIRU tells the story

D

IPLOMAT EAST AFRICA: How do you fulfill your mandate as the Slovakian Ambassador to

Kenya?

H E MILAN ZACHAR: We do not have any political interests in Kenya and we have a mutual relationship between the countries.

Our main interest in Kenya has

been business, which we have addressed and gained ground on.

We have also offered development cooperation and humanitarian assistance in various projects around the country.

Q: Do you represent any other countries? How do you address these countries in your line of duty?

A: Yes, I do represent 12 other countries that are by far and large in the East Africa region. They include South Sudan, Eritrea, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, the Seychelles and Comoros.

To answer your second question, these countries are relating with Slovakia in business. With that in mind I travel when there is need to and as much as it is a hard task, the representation from Slovakia is ever present.

Q: What have been the highlights of your stay in Kenya?

A: Kenya has beautiful people and very fantastic weather. For Slovakia we have no political interests and we focus more on the business aspect. It has been a plus for me as this was my first time in the continent to be able to have very achievable prospects put in place and even implemented.

Kenya is strategically placed for any investment and therefore has

helped me bring the Slovak business aspect to light and all I can say is that it has been fruitful and I hope the relations between the two countries remain cordial.

I am also happy about the growth of the Slovak business fraternity since my arrival. It has made some progress over time with common interests for Kenya and Slovakia being worked on. I am mostly excited about the business sector and its promising development.

Q: How are the bilateral relations between Kenya and Slovakia and what are some areas you are interested in and working with other organisations in Kenya?

A: As I mentioned earlier, we are focusing on business and how to implement agreeable transactions with Kenya, though sometimes it is very difficult because of some policies in place but we are working on road construction projects and we have plans on introducing cement from Slovakia into the Kenyan markets.

Slovakia is also working on agriculture progression and we have programmes covering the artificial insemination of cows. The Slovak Academy of Science is working on a very interesting programme in partnership with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) whereby we are trying to eradicate

December 2011 - January 2012

51 51

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

the tsetse fly. But mainly our priority and focus is business.

Q: What are some of the projects or programmes that the Slovakian Government has been involved in in Kenya?

A: We are assisting in the running of a clinic in Mihang’o. It is a project for public health involving a low-income neighbourhood. We have nutrition projects in Lungalunga. We also helped build the Don Bosco Boys School in Karen among others. It has been a time well spent for me in Kenya as these projects have mostly been finished and even as I leave to be accredited to another country I feel my tour of duty in Africa has been successful.

Q: In your own opinion how has the economy in Kenya changed and has it affected trade or business between the two countries?

A: Not really. We have been working on investing in the country and therefore since we are on the primary phase, the shilling’s fall hasn’t been felt yet on our end. The investment opportunities have remained the same. In my view the Kenyan citizen is burdened with these hard economic times but I believe the shilling will be regulated and ease the load off. It has been a trying time for Kenyans as they have to part with more from their pockets while still earning the same.

Q: What was the drive behind the merging of the missions to mark the National Day? A: After the revolution in central Europe towards the end of 80s and beginning of 90s the main focus was integration of the European Union (EU). We first formed a group in the beginning comprising Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary. This was done to have these countries integrated as soon

52

as possible into the EU. After the division of Czechoslovakia, there was a fourth country. In the beginning these three countries were more efficient in the negotiation and after some political changes in Slovakia in 1998 the other three countries that are Czech, Hungary and Poland played a big role in the induction of Slovakia into the EU. Till today we find this group a great initiative politically and a sign of common interest of these neighbour countries to achieve common results. Even as ambassadors we have very good foreign relations as we have a shared history as countries.

Q: What advice would you give to Africa’s new state, South Sudan since you represent Slovakia there? Is your government keen on assisting South Sudan to develop necessary structures?

A: Work and to stop corruption.

Life itself, in essence is difficult.

For us as Europe we have four seasons and we have to plan for winter throughout these other seasons. It is up to them (South Sudan) to develop their country and ensure the country is moving towards a new and positive direction. They have fought for what they believe in and it is their duty to stand with the country and employ development skills that will improve the country.

Q: How would you describe your tour of duty in Kenya as you exit?

A: This was my first time in Africa as I have never been on holiday or been anywhere in Africa. It has been an exciting and very interesting stay. The weather has been very good as there are no extremes like back home. The Kenyan people are very receptive and nurturing. In my time as the Ambassador to Kenya, I have had a liking to Kenyans and appreciate everything that Kenyans have offered

December 2011 - January 2012

UGANDAN JUDGE ELECTED TO SERVE ON UN WORLD COURT

The General Assembly and the Security Council today elected a Ugandan jurist to fill the final vacancy on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

Julia Sebutinde obtained an absolute majority in both the Assembly and the Council, a requirement for successful candidates, during voting this afternoon at UN Headquarters in New York.

Ms. Sebutinde obtained 97 votes in the Assembly, compared to 93 for rival candidate Abdul G. Koroma of Sierra Leone, while in the Council she obtained nine votes and Mr. Koroma received six.

The new judge will serve a nine-year term on the ICJ, also known as the World Court, starting on 5 February next year.

She joins Italy’s Giorgio Gaja, Hisashi Owada of Japan, Slovakian Peter Tomka and China’s Xue Hanqin, who were all elected early last month during the first round of simultaneous voting in the Assembly and Council.

The Assembly and Council had been deadlocked on the final vacancy, with Ms. Sebutinde obtaining a majority in the Assembly and Mr. Koroma a majority in the Council during previous rounds of voting.

Judges are chosen on the basis of their qualifications, not their nationality, but no two judges can be from the same country.

Effort is also taken to ensure that the principal legal systems of the world are reflected in the composition of the court.

Established in 1945, and based in The Hague in the Netherlands, the ICJ settles legal disputes between States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions that have been referred to it by other authorized UN organs.

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

MESSING THE MASSES?

Better Services for the World’s Bottom Billion Success of post-conflict states will lie in the relentless pursuit of what works and in discarding what does not. Nobody should have to tolerate schools in which students do not learn, and clinics where doctors and nurses do not heal

BY OBIAGELI EZEKWESILI and PAUL COLLIER

W

orld leaders, g ov e r n m e n t s , aid agencies, and NGOs, will converge on the Korean port city of Busanover the coming days to talk about making development aid work better in poor countries, including those affected by conflict. They meet at a time when the global economy faces new turmoil and aid budgets are tight.

In Africa, economic growth has been strong at close to 6 per-

cent a year over the past decade.

Increased domestic revenue in fast-growing economies, coupled with aid, has financed low-cost high-impact development activities such as the training and deployment of thousands of health workers in Ethiopia. As a result, there have been remarkable achievements in many countries, including reductions in child mortality and progress in getting more children into primary school.

But things are different in conflict-affectedcountries in Af-

rica that are home tomany of the world’s ‘bottom billion’—those who face the aftermath of violence in their daily lives. Not a single poor conflict-affected country has to date achieved any of the Millennium Development Goals that fall due by 2015. These countries have made weak or uneven progress because they lack strong policies and institutions and have tended to undergo dramatic collapses in economic growth. A combination of growth, policy management, and decent public services will help bring them back on track.

Meeting the staggering demand from citizens for public services is fundamental to peace, stability and growth; yet services delivered by governments—often barely established—often fall short, resulting in an ocean of unmet human needs. Weak public health or education systems frequentlydo not inspire the sort of teaching or healing that would make a real difference.Governments and donors need to seize the opportunity in conflict-affected states to rebuild these systems for results, as well as to rope in every partner who has something to contribute by way of reach or efficiency.

Governments can deliver key services in places where the public system can be readily reformed to yield results, but they could also

December 2011 - January 2012

53 53

•DNA

Diplomacy•News•Analysis

oversee and fund the complementary work of others. For instance, conflict-affected states often attract some of the most dedicated NGOs in the world. If the convening power and financial scale of governments and the work of these NGOs were to converge into a coordinated national solution, the results for the bottom billion could be rapid and spectacular.

There are nascent examples of this in Africa. In South Sudan, a flexible unit in the ministry of education coordinates youth and adult education—critical for those who have missed schooling at the right age—provided by a range of NGOs and faith-based organisations.

The World Bank’s World Development Report 2011 on Conflict, Security and Development identifies these “state-NGO (and) stateprivate sector programmes for service delivery” as part of a new way of doing business in conflictaffected states, critical for restoring confidence, transforming institutions and reinforcing the legitimacy of the state.

In the medium term, governments could also harness private sector efficiency to deliver publicly-funded services. A recent example from Lesotho—not a conflict-affected state but one with tremendous health needs—is the government’s visionary partnership with a private healthcare consortium to build and manage the brand new Queen ’Mamohato Memorial hospital, part of a network that includes referral clinics.

Modern healthcare, with built-in accountability for quality services, will now be available to hundreds of thousands of Basothocitizensthrough this network.

This model may not work in every conflict-affected state. But it is definitely possible as systems mature and stability becomes the norm. New clinics in Lesotho’s densely populated Maseru district

54

have already seen demand for services doubling, an encouraging sign in a country that is fighting hard to improve its health indicators. Lesotho is definitely a space to watch and learn from.

Another promising approach that helps improve health services is results-based financing of frontline healthcare facilities.

Here, health center teams are paid based on proven delivery of a set of services. Healthcare is starting to turn around visibly in post-conflict countries such as Burundi and Rwanda partly with their adoption of this approach— one among many ways to improve results.

Regardless of who delivers services, there must be transparency about effectiveness. Early results from arecent surveyled by think tanks in Africa showed that students in public primary schools in one countrywere taught for only two hours a day, while in another, only a third of clinicians were able to correctly diagnose diarrhoea with severe dehydration. Precise, actionable information like this

December 2011 - January 2012

can help countries take decisions on where to direct reforms, and to know whether their reforms are working. Imagine if such information were available to guide efforts in South Sudan, or Sierra Leone, or Liberia.

The Busan focus on conflictaffected states is timely with the clock ticking down towards the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. But success will lie in the relentless pursuit of what works and in discarding what does not.

Nobody should have to tolerate schools in which students do not learn, and clinics where doctors and nurses do not heal. Especially, not people long-wearied by war and conflict, with great needs and, indeed, great expectations Obiageli Ezekwesili is Vice President for Africa at the World Bank, and Paul Collier is Director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at Oxford University, and author of “The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It”(2007)

The World Bank’s World Development Report 2011 on Conflict, Security and Development identifies these “state-NGO (and) state-private sector programmes for service delivery” as

part of a new way of doing business in conflict-affected states

•ECONOMY

Investment•Technology•Prosperity REALITY CHECK

Watershed Moment for the Commonwealth With three CHOGMs under its belt, Australia proved the ideal country to deliver a packed agenda in planning and orchestrating the event, paying considerable attention to the concerns and interests that make the Commonwealth such a unique and diverse international organisation

By MANOAH ESIPISU

W

hen Commonwealth Heads of Government gathered for their biennial meeting (CHOGM) in the west Australian city of Perth from 28-30 October, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation.

Two seminal reports were on the table: One detailing recommendations of an 11-member Eminent Persons Group on wide-ranging reform of the Commonwealth. The other, from nine Foreign Ministers seeking ways to strengthen the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), charged with protecting Commonwealth political principles and values.

While every CHOGM has its own personality, depending on the host country and the meeting agenda, 2011 was unequivocally billed as a defining moment for the 62-yearold association. Ahead of the meeting, Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma spoke of ‘resilience, renewal and reform’ and critics warned that unless the Commonwealth changed the way it does its business, it risked becoming irrelevant to the 2 billion people it sought to serve.

What would CHOGM be remembered for? Would Heads be sufficiently bold to endorse some of the more radical reforms? Were the aspirations

realistic? While this high-profile conjecture played out in the media and in whispered discussions at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, the programme of CHOGM was already underway. The three parallel forums -- for youth, civil society and business -- are precursors to the main event, but in their own way, are markers for the days ahead.

The Business Forum undoubtedly set the tone. It was a triumph for the mineral-rich West Australian state as over 1,000 delegates swapped business cards and secured deals worth a reported US$10.5 billion, mostly centered on the African resources sector. The three-day meeting was also addressed by Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame

down under:

Heads of State and governments at the commonwealth meeting in Australia

– making his maiden CHOGM appearance -- and notably attended

by Nhial Deng Nhial, South Sudan’s Foreign Minister. This was a public statement by the globe’s newest country that it sees its future amidst the Commonwealth family. Later, in the CHOGM communiqué, leaders welcomed South Sudan’s interest in joining. In endorsing new potential, leaders also remembered a former member – Zimbabwe -- stating that they looked forward to the conditions being created for its return to the Commonwealth.

On one hand, the push for greater emphasis on democracy and Commonwealth values could sum up CHOGM 2011. On the other, the most profound global economic

December 2011 - January 2012

55 55

instability and debt crisis in modern times pointed the way towards securing sustainable development solutions as a matter of urgency.

Democracy and development are indeed two sides of the Commonwealth coin and Perth saw both being revitalised.

Noting that developing countries and small island nations are particularly vulnerable to economic shocks; the impacts of climate change; and food security concerns, Foreign Ministers called for support to build resilience.

Heads later released a statement on food security in which they vowed to work towards the elimination of trade barriers and to deliver practical measures to make agriculture more productive and sustainable. In the communiqué, they stressed the importance of taking “urgent” action on sustainable development and climate change. With three CHOGMs under its belt, Australia proved the ideal country to deliver a packed

56

December 2011 - January 2012

agenda. In planning and orchestrating the event, the host country paid considerable attention the concerns and interests that make the Commonwealth such a unique and diverse international organisation.

It was no surprise then, that the Commonwealth’s 2011 theme ‘Women as Agents of Change’ was celebrated at a gala event on the eve of the official meeting with a debate on ‘Empowering Women to Lead’ – hosted by the Australian Prime Minister. The exceptional scenario of Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, a woman, handing over as Chair-in-Office, to Ms Gillard was seen by Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma as a fitting one.

The Queen’s presence in Perth – at the end of her 11-day nationwide tour dominated news coverage for several days. Over 1,300 local and foreign media attended CHOGM, which was billed as the most significant event to be held in the city since the 1962 Empire and Commonwealth Games and the largest gathering of international leaders ever held in Australia.

As Head of the Commonwealth, the Queen proved a massive draw for local residents with royalists and Republicans alike falling over each other to catch a glimpse of her. In her well-received CHOGM opening speech, she spoke of a meeting “that promises to bring new vibrancy to the Commonwealth” and urged leaders to be bold in their decisions on reform, reminding them that the Commonwealth is a body, not just of governments, but of people.

Indeed, the people of Perth were not left out when a day later, tens of thousands of flocked to see the Queen at the ‘Big Aussie BBQ’ (nyama choma) city’s waterfront, where, some 150,000 sausages were reportedly barbequed!

The CHOGM week will also be remembered for royal reform too, when at a side meeting, leaders of

the Commonwealth’s 16 Realms – countries in which the Queen is still Head of State -- approved a change to rules which would allow a firstborn daughter to take the throne ahead of a younger brother.

‘Diversity’ is a much-touted description of the Commonwealth, whose nations span every continent and ocean in the world, encompass all stages of development and range from the very large and densely populated to tiny island states with just thousands of inhabitants. Yet the power of the Commonwealth, in its diversity is never more apparent when leaders meet as equals at gatherings such as CHOGM. The fact that they make decisions by consensus behind closed doors in ‘Retreat’ is all the more remarkable.

Faced with the report on reform of CMAG and 106 recommendations in the EPG, there was inevitable skepticism around the ability of leaders to deliver. But despite talk of a ‘North/ South split’ – Commonwealth leaders were able to pronounce on key change mechanisms.

Their decision to adopt all recommendations on CMAG reform should not be overshadowed by lack of immediate agreement on the appointment of a Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights, proposed by the EPG – a proposition that ran into trouble mainly because its authors did not have, in writing, sufficient detail about what the office actually entailed.

A strengthened CMAG now has at its disposal a set of graduated time-bound measures to respond to violations of the Commonwealth’s democratic values and principles.

These include the prevention of lawful functioning of parliament and democratic institutions, postponement of mass elections and the systematic denial of political space. The Australian Prime Minister described this as a “significant step forward” for the Commonwealth

•GREEN AGENDA Planet Earth

GEO-PULSE

From the Decline of Arctic Sea Ice to New Trends in Energy Use New UNEP Report tracks the changing global environment over the past two decades as world population hits 7 billion. and lays-out the challenges and opportunities for sustainable development up to Rio+20 and beyond

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

T

he environmental changes that have swept the planet over the last twenty years are spotlighted in new data from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), released in a report entitled Keeping Track of our Changing Environment: From Rio to Rio+20.

The report is produced as part of UNEP’s “Global Environmental Outlook-5” (GEO -5) series, the UN’s most authoritative assessment of the state, trends and outlook of the global environment. The full GEO-5 report will be launched next May, one month ahead of the Rio+20 Conference in Brazil.

UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner, expressed the urgent need for governments, business and civil society to submit their submissions for how Rio+20 “can deliver a transformational outcome in terms of accelerating and scaling-up.”

“The indicator report gets us all back to basics, underlining the rapid build-up of greenhouse gases to the erosion of biodiversity and the 40 per cent increase in the use of natural resources faster than global population growth. But the report also underlines how, when the world decides to act it can dra-

matically alter the trajectory of hazardous trends that threaten human well-being action to phase-out ozone damaging chemicals being a spirited and powerful example,” he added.

“Rio+20, under the two themes of a Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and an institutional framework for sustainable development, can with the requisite level of leadership trigger the necessary switches that may ensure that the balance of negative versus positive trends moves from the red into the black and that the Right to Development is enjoyed by the many rather than a few,” said Steiner.

Through data, graphics and satellite images, the UNEP report offers wide-ranging information on a number of key issues: On population

As the world’s population reaches 7 billion, urban population has grown by 45 per cent since 1992. Yet the percentage of slum dwellers has dropped from 46 per cent in 1990 to a third in 2010, thanks to improved housing and sanitation.

The number of megacities with at least 10 million people has grown from 10 in 1992 to 21 last year, a 110 per cent increase. Some 1.4 billion

people globally have no access to reliable electricity.

Climate change Global C02 emissions continue to rise due to increasing use of fossil fuels, with 80 per cent of global emissions coming from just 19 countries.

The amount of CO2 per US$1 GDP has dropped by 23 per cent since 1992 underlining that some decoupling of economic growth from resource use is occurring.

Nearly all mountain glaciers around the world are retreating and getting thinner, with severe impacts on the environment and human wellbeing.

Diminishing glaciers not only influence current sea-level rise, but also threaten the well-being of approximately one-sixth of the world’s population. Sea levels have been rising at an average rate of about 2.5 mm per year since 1992.

Tracking energy trends since 1992, the report indicates that the contribution of renewable energy (including biomass) to the global energy supply stood at an estimated 16 per cent in 2010. Solar and wind energy accounted for only 0.3 per cent of the total global energy.

Increased recognition of the need to move towards low carbon, resource efficient energy solutions can be seen in the 540 per cent increase in investments in sustainable

December 2011 - January 2012

57 57

•GREEN AGENDA Planet Earth

energy between 2004 and 2010.

Due to the decreasing prices of the technologies and adoption of new policies, growth in biodiesel as a renewable energy source has jumped 300,000 per cent, use of solar energy has increased by nearly 30,000 per cent, wind by 6,000 per cent and bio-fuels by 3,500 per cent.

Resource Efficiency

The global use of natural resources rose by over 40 per cent from 1992 to 2005. The report warns that unless concerted and rapid action is taken to curb and decouple resource depletion from economic growth, human activities may destroy the very environment that supports economies and sustains life.

Despite the net reforestation now seen in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, ongoing forest loss in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean means that global forest area has decreased by 300 million hectares since 1990.

The annual 20 per cent rise in the number of forests receiving certificates for sustainable forestry practices shows that consumers are exerting influence on timber production. However, only around 10 per cent of global forests are under certified sustainable management.

A growing percentage of the world’s forests are one that has been replanted--an area equaling the size of a country such as Tanzania.

Food Security and land use

Food production has risen by 45 per cent since 1992. These increased yields are heavily reliant on the use of fertilisers, which as well as enriching soil fertility, can also have a negative impact on the environment, such algal blooms in inland and marine waters. Land used for organic farming is growing at an annual rate of 13 per cent.

58

December 2011 - January 2012

Drinking Water

The world will meet, or even exceed, the Millennium Development Goals target on access to drinking water; indicating that by 2015 nearly 90 per cent of the population in developing regions will have access to improved sources of drinking water, up from 77 per cent in 1990.

The data compiled also indicates that environmental target-setting works best for well-defined issues such as phasing out leaded gasoline or ozone-depleting substances.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, for example, used mandatory targets to phase-out the pollutants that were damaging the planet’s protective shield.

Over 90 per cent of all ozone-depleting substances under the treaty were phased out between 1992 and 2009. Similarly, only a small number of countries still use leaded gasoline and they are expected to make the switch over the next year or two.

The report says 13 per cent of the world’s land surface, 7 per cent of its coastal waters and 1.4 percent of its oceans are protected. There is growing concern that the oceans are becoming more acidic. This could have significant consequences on marine organisms which may alter species composition, disrupt marine food webs and potentially damage fishing and tourism activities.

The ocean’s pH declined from 8.11 in 1992 to 8.06 in 2007. The number of tanker oil spills recorded has declined in 20 years. Biodiversity has declined by 12 per cent at the global level and by 30 per cent in the tropics.

Eco-tourism is growing at a rate three times faster than traditional mass-tourism. Plastics production has climbed by 130 per cent.

The UNEP publication also notes that many environmental issues, which were only emerging in 1992, are now firmly part of mainstream

policymaking in many countries.

Some examples include: New Multilateral Environmental Agreements and Conventions which have been established to address emerging global environmental issues.

The greening of economy has taken off as a viable pathway of low-carbon, climate resilient and resource efficient economic development. Carbon Trading has put a monetary value on Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Recycling, or processing waste into new resources, is becoming policy and practice in many countries.

Commercialization of renewable energy, with biofuels, solar and wind energy production growing.

Chemicals Management has led to the banning of a number of deadly chemicals. Organic Products and eco-labeling are growing thanks to consumer demand. energy

Nanotechnology is growing, especially in the fields of energy, healthcare, clean water and climate change. The authors of the report point out that the lack of sufficient, solid data and monitoring systems to measure progress remains obstacles to achieving the environmental goals set by the international community. The report highlights the missing pieces in our knowledge about the state of the environment, calling for global efforts to collect scientifically-credible data for environmental monitoring.

The Eye on Earth Summit, to be held in Abu Dhabi next month, presents one such opportunity, where scientists, policymakers and governments will work together to define the key challenges and solutions related to environmental data access and sharing

•GREEN AGENDA Planet Earth

LOOKING YONDER

The Economic Case for Greening Cities A significant slice of GDP is being lost through poor urban planning

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

I

mproved planning and more intelligent management of cities across the developed and developing world could play a key role in growing economies, boosting social improvements and reducing humanity’s environmental footprint.

Findings from the Green Economy report of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) indicate that current patterns of urban development could be costing countries over three per cent of GDP as a result of congestion to welfare costs.

The cities chapter of the report, released at the Gwangju Summit of the Urban Environmental Accords in the Republic of Korea, cites Buenos Aires and Dakar as two ex-

sumption of natural resources will only happen if cities are committed and on board”.

“The evidence from around the globe, and the case studies from city delegates in Gwangju, is that this realiSation and action to re-define the urban environment as a catalyst for transformational change is understood and underway,” he said.

“Rio+20 in Brazil next June is an opportunity to scale-up and to accelerate these transformations through innovative policy switches, creative and available technologies and by capitalizing and adopting the legion of lessons and experiences that clearly illuminate a path towards a sustainable future,” he added. hazards

amples where current patterns of urban development are reducing GDP by 3.4 per cent.

Current models of urban development in a city like Mexico City may be undermining the economy by over two per cent of GDP and in the European Union a lower but still significant 0.75 per cent of GDP. Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: “Without cities, a transition to a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy as a way and as a means for implementing sustainable development, will always remain an aspiration rather than a reality—the overwhelming evidence is that the decoupling of economic growth from the con-

According to the report, cities are facing mounting pressures to meet the demands of bourgeoning populations – from unsustainable resource use and energy consumption to insufficient infrastructure and health hazards.

While urbaniSation has helped to reduce absolute poverty, the number of people classified as urban poor is on the rise. Between 1993 and 2000, there was an additional 50 million poor in urban areas while the number of rural poor declined by 150 million.

The UNEP report finds that the environmental performance of cities can be enhanced through effective urban planning and sound governance.

December 2011 - January 2012

59 59

•GREEN AGENDA Planet Earth

The physical structures of cities - urban form, size, density and configuration – can be designed and managed to limit resources consumption and per capita carbon emissions.

More compact urban forms, reduced travel distances, higher density green residential and commercial buildings and investment in green public transport models lead to greater energy efficiency and reduced environmental footprints.

According to research, net residential densities of up to 3,000 persons per hectare can be reached without compromising environmental or social conditions.

Many cities around the world have recognized such structural opportunities. Compact urban development models with walkable urban neighbourhoods and green public transport have been created in cities such as Copenhagen, Oslo and Madrid in Europe and Curitiba, Vancouver and Portland in the Americas.

In high density cities such as Hong Kong and New York, housing, commercial retail and leisure facilities are in close proximity, thus limiting the lengths of everyday trips. This is supported by efficient and extensive public transport networks. recycle

In an urban green economy, job creation can come in many forms – from urban agriculture and renewable energy to green construction and better waste management. Upgrading to greener infrastructure will also create more jobs, as will more effective recycling services.

For example, in the Republic of Korea, the Ministry of Environment expects the government and private sector to spend 5.63 trillion won to expand the country’s waste to energy facilities by 2013. It has projected that this project will create 46,000 new jobs and generate savings of 1.2 trillion won from reduced waste

60

disposal and importation of crude oil, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The most significant cost savings can be derived from shifting away from infrastructure for automobiles to more efficient public transport systems, such as pedestrian and cycling paths. Studies have shown that fuel wasted in traffic jams in well-designed cities such as Curitiba, Colombia, has cost the city about US$ 930,000 compared to $13.4 million in Rio de Janeiro.

A green public transport sector also helps create jobs. In many countries, public transport jobs account for up to one and two per cent of total employment. In New York, almost 80,000 local jobs are connected to the sector and in Mumbai, there are more than 160,000 jobs involved.

Overall, greening cities reduces social inequality and improves the quality of life for its inhabitants. Research shows that creating green spaces has positive impacts on public health, as does providing access to recreational facilities, such as bicycle and walking paths.

December 2011 - January 2012

GREEN CITIES: EXAMPLES FROM AROUND THE WORLD A number of cities around the world have pioneered ambitious green policies and trajectories to improve environmental performance.

Freiburg, a German city of 200,000 inhabitants, has reduced its Co2 emissions per capita by 12 per cent between 1992 and 2003. The city has a long tradition of constructing green buildings and recycling waste.

The city of Curitiba, Brazil, adopts integrated land-use and sustainable transport systems. It introduced an innovative bus rapid transit system that has been in service since 1970.

Singapore introduced the world’s first road-charging scheme in the 1980s and it is now at the forefront of sustainable policies on waste, water and the greening of the environment.

Greening cities requires: controlling disease; reducing chemical and physical hazards; developing high-quality urban environments; minimizing the transfer of environmental costs to areas outside the city and the implementation of sustainable production and consumption patterns.

Indicators measuring the environmental performance of cities include: levels of pollution and carbon emissions, energy and water consumption, water quality, energy mix, waste volumes and recycling rates. Other indicators include: green-space ratios, primary forests and agricultural land loss, motorization rate and modal share of urban transport.

An important measure of humanity’s demand on nature is the Ecological Footprint, which measures how much biologically productive land and water area a human population or activity requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its wastes

•DEA HOTELS Lifestyle & Hospitality

exotic

Enduring, Alluring and Attractive The arresting and unrivalled beauty of the Enashipai Resort and Spa, choice luxury resort, Olare Ntiakitiak tented camp and Sarova Lion Hill Lodge are the stuff memories will be made of as the holiday season gets underway

BY JANE MWANGI

E

nashipai - a Masaai term meaning a state of happiness - is a luxury resort and spa that can only be described as a haven of pleasure. Culturally rich, endowed with nature, Enashipai is where a strong local heritage and abundant nature is blended with pure luxury, and then delivered with a generous sense of warmth. It is small wonder then that it has become the talk of the town, with charmed pleasure

seekers making their way to the famed town of Naivasha. It is here that lavish relaxation awaits holiday makers, with 40 luxurious executive rooms and 39 spacious cottages all uniquely designed to leave a lasting impression. The rooms offer an inviting comfortable, spacious and luxurious combination with sweeping views of the surrounding hills while the spacious cottage have the added advantage of being surrounded by lush tropical gardens. All Executive accommodation pampers

you with upscale comforts and conveniences such as Internet, coffee bar and flat screen televisions with premium movie channels.

The resort also has a coffee lounge, a main and lakeside bar, a fully equipped fitness centre, an outdoor swimming pool not forgetting the enchanting Siyara Spa. Savour the finest cuisine at the Resort’s main restaurant ie Senteu Restaurant.

The Oltepesi Bar is unrivalled in Naivasha – classy, fully stocked and to top it all, a barman eager to serve

December 2011 - January 2012

61 61

•DEA HOTELS

Lifestyle & Hospitality

your drinks just the way you like them. From cocktails to shooters or just a simple cold beer. One can also kick back at the Lakeside Bar (set-up occasionally), a perfect setting for sundowners, great conversation and bonfire nights.

Only an hour’s drive from Nairobi, a stay at Enashipai comes with the exhilarating fusion of enjoying nature’s best. Excursions to this perfect getaway accord you preference; one can enjoy mountain climbing, hiking, and rock climbing, biking, or even bird watching. Naivasha is home to some of the country’s key attractions, e g Hells Gate and Mt. Longonot.

Bird watchers will have a field day at the Hells Gate Park with over 100 species of birds including vultures, verreaux’s eagles, augur buzzard, and swifts. This park is also unique in the sense that it is one of the few parks where you are allowed to walk.

Enashipai has truly earned the tag of a top-class luxury accommodation.

Olare Lounge

olare ntiakitiak

Olare Ntiakitiak is a luxury tented camp that offers a beautifully blended duo of elegance and the thrill of Mother Nature in one captivating package. The camp gives a whole new air to the great outdoors A pleasure trip in the wild amidst the raw enchanting sensation of Africa’s celebrated flora and fauna; located within Olare Orok Conservancy, north of the Masai Mara Conservancy Boundary, Olare Ntiakitiak luxury tented camp is at one with nature – literally. With a total of 12 luxury tents comprised of 1 suite tent with private plunge pool, 4 family tents and 7 private tents. The camp offers the ultimate bush luxury experience with services ranging from nature walks, guided bush walks, cultural visits, day and night Game Drives in open sided 4X4 vehicles, captivating sundowners and luxury bush banquets. With a maximum of 24 guests at any given time Olare is the epitome of exclusivity. Nestling just north of

62

Olare Bar the Masai Mara National Reserve, the camp set along the Ntiakitiak River, overlooking the Olempalakae hill, which boasts an array of plains game.

The camp is the border line between the two main lion prides of the conservancy with the Ridge Pride comprising of a 17 member family group localising the area around the river and the Rocky Pride on the other side of the camp. In addition to these prides, the conservancy is home to the Moniko pride with a 22 member family group, located along the river

December 2011 - January 2012

bank with a salt lick.

For that memorable experience, the camp allows unparalled game viewing from all tent decks as well as the main areas. All tents are a distance from each other, thus guaranteeing privacy with an abundance of wildlife. The atmosphere of the camp brings together the African feel with a touch of elegance with its soft furnishings and comfortable setup, bringing together the brightness of the Masai colours and modern day furnishings.

A unique selling point is that the camp is the only property within the Olare Orok and Motorogi Conservancy that has a swimming pool.

Others include having a resident masseuse for those who wish to enjoy a massage in the privacy of their tent.

What’s more, over 150 different bird species have been spotted around the camps premises and there is a specially designed tent to cater for guests with disabilities.

Surprisingly, there is a ‘resident leopard’ that lives opposite the bar across the Ntiakitiak River. In addition, it has highly qualified team of multilingual staff, who speak French,

•DEA HOTELS

Lifestyle & Hospitality

Sarova Lion Hill Family Tent

German, Japanese, Spanish, English and Swahili with guides boasting a minimum of bronze level KSPGA qualification.

The camp is accessible through the Ol Kiombo Airstrip, approximately 40 minutes’ drive to the campy.

There are daily scheduled flights from Nairobi. It takes 45 minutes and approximately 1½ hour flight from Mombasa. You can also access it by road via Narok, a four wheel drive vehicle is recommended as some sections of the road are rough terrain.

SAROVA LION HILL GAME LODGE’S MAGIC

Nothing beats the unparalleled combination of getting to experience lakeside and nature all in one stay. Well, the Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge offers just that and so much more Nestled along the Lion Hill, Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge offers one of the most spectacular views of the flamingo pink rimmed Lake Nakuru and the picturesque Lake Nakuru National Park.

The Lodge incorporates natural landscaping with tall acacia trees,

winding walkways and greens dotted with bird feeds. It attracts over 50 species of birds amongst the 400 species that inhabit the park. Indeed, the lake has been aptly described as an ornithological paradise and is also a Ramsar Site, (wetland of international importance).

A favourite with guests, Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the few places where one can see the endangered white rhino. Other wildlife at the park includes tree-climbing lion, leopard, zebra, gazelle, eland, giraffe, dik dik, waterbuck and the hyrax.

Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge has an authentic natural setting with chalet style rooms and suites with private patios with panoramic views of Lake Nakuru, and ensuite bathrooms. Guests have a choice pick of Ziwa suite, Chui suite and Faru suite that offer a relaxed atmosphere incorporating both glamour and style.

The Lodge’s main restaurant - Flamingo - with a capacity of 200 people is famous for its buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner with

live cooking counters preparing speciality dishes.

Cuisine includes continental buffet with the salad buffet offering a wide variety of salads using fresh ingredients and herbs from the Camp’s own vegetable and herb garden. The Dessert Buffet has a selection of mouth-watering desserts.

On the other hand, there’s the Rift Valley bar that opens out into an amphitheatre from where visitors can watch the exquisitely beautiful African sun set above the shimmering Lake.

Guests can also enjoy some good old bush dining; quite a memorable experience. There’s also some champagne breakfast right in the open while you watch the wilderness slowly come alive. Special request dinners are arranged at various outdoor locations in the Lodge including the pool-side, honeymooners corner where guests can enjoy an intimate dinner or private party.

Cultural Performances are also held each evening at the Rift Valley Bar terracewhere revellers get to sample some traditional dancing

December 2011September - January 2012 2011

Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge has an authentic natural setting with chalet style rooms and suites with private patios with

panoramic views of Lake Nakuru, and ensuite bathrooms.

Guests have a choice pick of Ziwa suite

63 63

•GLOBAL STAGE Window on World

LOOKING UP

'The Gods' May Smile on Obama One More Time The positives Obama will bring to his re-election quest include his awesome ability to raise money, likely to surpass the $750 million for the 2008 race, his wide latitude in the electoral ground he can afford to give. He garnered 365 electoral votes in 2008, meaning that he can shed 95 electoral votes and still win re-election

By JOHN MULAA (PhD), Washington DC

64

December 2011 September 2011- January 2012

I

mmediately after his selfdescribed shellacking in the mid-term elections last year pundits everywhere, including in Kenya, were quick to write off the first African American President of the United States as a one termer.

Everywhere one looked the pontificators and “gurus” of political analysis gleefully or sadly concluded Obama was in a deep rut and getting out was going to be a hard climb.

I, for one, was far less gloomy though I must admit I was not that sanguine either. The political mood in American was toxic, trending to vitriolic. Epithets, right left and center, most from the political right though, were dinning, and it seemed the cacophony would drown out any rational discourse on political trends in the USA.

The one person who seemed detached from the fray was Obama. A master of detachment and cool, he can seem very unflappable, unengaged to his critics, as if to suggest what all the noise is about; things will right themselves sometime, as they have usually done in his meteoric political career, his demeanor seems to imply. A year to the presidential election, has the situation changed? It depends on whom you ask and from what angle you slice and dice the raw data that the American political system churns out at an amazing rate.

Let us go the hard data route first.

Have you heard of Intrade or Betfair?

They are political prediction markets on which bets on politicians’ fortunes are placed and traded. As of early this month, both markets tapped Obama as the favorite to win election for a second term. The mar-

•GLOBAL STAGE Window on World kets even placed precise odds on Obama winning the second term: 51.4 percent chance. How the markets arrived at that precise figure is an arcane process that non-initiates should not bother to understand, and for those, a more prosaic analysis of Obama’s re-election prospects is in order.

In general, five factors will determine Obama’s re-election: who the Republican candidate is; how well the candidates’ strategies, including Obama’s, work; how the economy does; who raises most funds, and the candidates’ popularity in states with unpredictable voting patterns.

The Republican Party is having a bit of trouble settling on a frontrunner. Congressional representative from Minnesota, Michele Bachman, Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Godfather, Pizza Chief Executive Herman Cain, have all enjoyed front-runner status among Republican primary voters for a while and they have seen their lead melt away for any number of reasons. paltry

Perhaps the most rapid evaporation of support was in the cases of Perry and Cain. For different reasons: Demonstrated lack of command of simple facts in the case of Perry and an eruption of sexual harassment claims and revelation of a long-term romantic affair in the case of Cain. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in the lead for now.

Former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, the presumed “inevitable” nominee has been unable so far to break the 26 percent support level, and has experienced a flat line support that is beginning to chip away at his image as “the one”.

According to some analysts, the Republican field poses little trouble for Obama, whomever the party nominates. Based on what they see as paltry qualifications of the GOP field, the most optimistic of the analysts project more than 60 percent

chance for an Obama re-election.

However, there are other determining factors as well. What, for example, will be Obama’s strategy?

According to those who have followed these things closely, voters in presidential re-elections apply a two-step process in deciding whether the incumbent should stay on: does he deserve re-election? If they answer affirmatively, they vote accordingly and retain the incumbent.

If no, they look at the alternative and assess his/her acceptability. If they like the alternative, the incumbent is tossed. In strategic terms, the incumbent has two ways to retain his position: He can convince the electorate he deserves re-election, and second, if he falls short on that score, he can disqualify the opponent as George W Bush successfully did in 2004. Obama has a decent chance of meeting the first challenge and even if he falters, he can still portray his challenger as unacceptable alternative.

Obama’s biggest challenge for now is the economy. It is showing signs of bouncing back; unemployment numbers have recently edged downwards but they are still high. If the economy picks up in the coming 12 months, voter confidence will return and Obama’s chances of reelection will improve.

However, not all is lost for Obama even if the economy continues to limp along. In 1936, FDR won reelection even though the economy was at its most shambolic in the last century. An important caveat: 2012 is not 1936, and Obama is not FDR. Given the state of the economy, the best Obama can do is to construct a more compelling narrative showing that the economy is on the mend and show some emotion while at it!

When it comes to raising money for the campaign, Obama is unbeatable. So far, he has outraised his potential Republican challengers combined. A surprising steam of revenue that some thought would

Obama’s biggest challenge for now is the economy. It is showing signs of bouncing back; unemployment numbers have recently edged downwards but they are still high.

If the economy picks up in the coming 12 months, voter confidence will return and Obama’s chances of re-election will improve

dry given the relatively lower enthusiasm among his supporters has been small contributions. Minor Obama faithful are making their tithes faithfully and they show few signs of shutting their wallets.

Finally, how is Obama doing in the so-called swing states? There are about 14 swing states where the election will be decided: Nevada, Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, Colorado, Ohio, Indiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Virginia, Iowa, and New Hampshire. The most recent comprehensive state level polling shows Obama’s approval in these states at 46.4 percent, not bad but worrisome. Obama is doing surprisingly badly in Pennsylvania, which explains he frequent excursions to the state lately.

The slicing and dicing aside, the overall context for Obama’s re-election is a tough one. High unemployment persist, Obama’s job approval ratings are hovering in the high forties and they have rarely broken the 50 percent barrier lately, large majorities of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction.

This climate must have prompted Obama to declare himself an “underdog” to some Republicans’ glee.

The positives Obama will bring to his re-election quest include his awesome ability to raise money, likely to surpass the $750 million for the 2008 race, his wide latitude in the electoral ground he can afford to give. He garnered 365 electoral votes in 2008, meaning that he can shed 95 electoral votes and still win re-election.

All said and done, Obama is running against himself. As one veteran Democratic campaign operative summed it: “Both his map and his margin are narrower, but he (Obama) is the political talent of his generation and the Republican field is awfully weak.” The gods, as it is often noted, may just smile on Obama one more time

December 2011September - January 2012 2011

65 65

•CULTURE

Reviews•Raves•Revues•Repasts

BOOK REVIEW

Nation Branding Taken to a New Level

It’s a beautiful masterpiece of the highest coffee-table book production values, well-written and edited, lavishly illustrated in high resolution, full-colour photographs, maps and graphics. Vision 2030, Kenya’s roadmap to prosperity, has never been so vividly brought to life for the lay reader

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

T

here are two views of coffee table books, both of them communicated

by American reviewers, which pretty much define the best and the worst of the genre.

The first one was expressed in Vinography, a wine blog based in San Francisco, by a blogger known only as “Alder”:

66

December 2011 September 2011- January 2012

“I think the very nature of coffee table books encourage them to be over the top. What else do we want, lounging around in the living room, than to be transported to someplace wonderful? A good coffee table book is better than TV in my opinion, if only because you want to experience it multiple times, which is more than I can say for pretty much any given TV show episode”.

The second one was voiced by the American book reviewer E.A. Solinas, who once declared that most coffee table books are “just giant books that sit and collect dust on people’s coffee tables”.

This reviewer is happy to report without hesitation that it is impossible to categorize Best of Kenya Volume II, the Vision 2030 Edition in Solinas’s manner.

Just place the book in the hands of any literate Kenyan, ages 10-90, whether in Kenya or in the Diaspora, and watch them flip (very slowly, as if to miss nothing) through it, occasionally engrossed by an image or a passage. It is eminently readable and a visual feast. The dynamics of Vision 2030 come alive in the words of the individuals charged with actualizing it, in both the public and private sectors, and who have communicated their own perspectives in Best of Kenya Volume II.

Nation branding does not come much better than the Best of Kenya formula of a superior and interactive communications, marketing and advertising platform. Volume II comes in the better-than-TV tradition of something “you want to experience it multiple times” as described by the blogger Alder.

Best of Kenya Volume II, the Vision 2030 Edition speaks volumes about what happens when government ministries and State corporations get together with media, advertising and marketing professionals based in the private sector.

It looks, reads and feels like a phenomenal public/private partnership (PPP) effort – a superlative effort. This is no accident; as Minister of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya says in his foreword to this volume, “Vision 2030 is not predicated on donor funding. The Vision is independent of donor funding and, indeed, has 97 flagship projects, many of which are all detailed to be public-private partnerships. The role of the private sector in realization of Vision 2030 is therefore critical”.

In other words, although this volume is not itself a species of PPP, it treats of the PPP phenomenon in a way that it has not been treated before in print in this country. It is

•CULTURE

Reviews•Raves•Revues•Repasts

a beautiful masterpiece of the highest coffee-table book production values, well-written and edited, lavishly illustrated in high resolution, full-colour photographs, maps and graphics.

Vision 2030, Kenya’s roadmap to prosperity, has never been so vividly brought to life for the lay reader.

The Vision has never been given such interesting sector-by-sector, ministry-by-ministry, State-corporation-by-corporation, privatesector-corporation-by-corporation treatment as it has in Best of Kenya Volume II, the Vision 2030 Edition.

Kenya’s public, education, health, banking, cooperatives, communications and ICT sectors have rarely if ever been given such showcase treatment under one roof as they are here.

Global Village Publishers EA Ltd., holders of the Global Village Encyclopedia franchise in East Africa (GVPedia.com), launched the

Best of Kenya concept in 2008. As they report concerning Best of Kenya Vol I in Vol II (page 26): “Over the last one year Best of Kenya Volume I has earned for itself the reputation of the best public relations and marketing book for country, people, government and businesses this [nation] has yet seen”.

Volume II goes on about Volume I: “Whenever Prime Minister Raila Odinga has travelled overseas on official duty, he has always taken with him copies of Best of Kenya Volume I, which he has gifted his hosts as a prime promotional and marketing instrument for Kenya”.

Both the PM and other Kenyan dignitaries and boosters of our national brand will want to help disseminate Best of Kenya Vol II right around the world. Sixty-four entities have participated in this volume, ranging from government ministries and corporations to private companies and institutions, from the

Ministry of Regional Development Authorities to the Jacaranda Hotel, from Nakumatt Supermarkets to Coca Cola, from Grain Bulk Handlers Ltd to Equity Bank, from the Ministry of Information and Communications to Safaricom, Knight Frank and Kenyatta University and from Makini Schools to World Trade Centre.

Helping market Kenya, its businesses, entrepreneurs, government and people to the world at a time of clamouring and competing worldviews and nation brands is no mean task. But the Best of Kenya books do it stylishly, creatively, artistically and, above all, persuasively.

We highly recommend this latest volume as a perfect Festive Season gift for many a Kenyan, ages 10 to 90, who wants to dip into some of the most superlative and forwardlooking feel-good factors about a great country, nation and people www.gvpedia.com

December 2011 - January 2012

67 67

•ENVOYS OF SPORT bunker's bank

Bavaria Auto Announces BMW Golf Cup Tournament Winners

By RONALD BERA

M

ike Lee, Peter Nga’nga’ and Rabshna Patel emerged winners at the just concluded national qualification rounds to book places at the finals of the world’s largest amateur golf tournament series, the BMW Golf Cup International.

The tourney is set to take place at Singapore’s breath-taking Sentosa Golf Club from 5th to 10th March next year.

Lee and Nga’nga’ topped the men’s’ categories A (HCP 12 and under) and B (HCP 13-28) respectively, each with 40 points, while Patel capped the ladies category (HCP 28 and under) with a total 33 points at the qualifications played at the lush and verdant fairways of the Sigona Golf Course, Nairobi.

“I am very new to the game. I’ve played for only six months,” said a surprised Nga’nga’, who had earlier in the game – at the thirteenth tee point - joked about visiting Singapore if he didn’t win.

It was a grueling 6,890 yards for the men and 5,631 for the ladies in the 18-hole course. About a hundred golfers – thirteen of them ladies - took part in the BMWsponsored tournament, with a little more than half managing to complete the full course before pounding rains set in.

“This road to Singapore is not smooth at all,” said an exhausted

68

M. Kiruti after playing the eleventh hole which had a hole-inone grand prize of the new BMW X1 series.

The BMW Golf Cup International is usually an exclusive, invitation-only event providing a platform for elite social interaction between BMW customers and opinion leaders.

More than 100,000 of the best amateur golfers drawn from over 40 countries around the world take part in the tournament held annually, making it one of the most renowned and largest international tournament series for amateurs. The tournament lends credit to BMW, which has over the years developed into one of the largest and most reliable golf partners globally.

The 2010 season saw 106 qualifiers from 37 different countries battle it out for the top award. An estimated 100,000 golfers from 40 countries will be battling it out for the coveted places at the World Finals, to be played in Singapore at the Sentosa Golf Club. The club is renowned for two of the region’s most demanding and attractive golf courses - the Serapong course and the Tanjong course, which are both set against the spectacular backdrop of the South China Sea and Singapore’s harbour.

In Kenya, where the tourney has been played for the third year running, BMW dealers - Bavaria

September 2011

ketul tanna: who was the 1st Runner's-Up in the men's Division A category

Auto host the qualifications of the tournament. Subsequently, the qualified players get to play in the finals which have more than aptly been described by those who have taken part in it, as simply magnificent.

“It was the best experience of my life,” said Ketul Tanna who came 9th out of a possible 114 participants during last year’s finals played in Phuket, Thailand.

•ENVOYS OF SPORT According to the tournament rules, only one group of different winners gets to play every three years.

“I am looking forward to qualifying in 2014,” said Tanna who was 1st runners-up in the men’s category A played at the start of December.

Although particularly held for amateur players, the tournament is open to golfers who are members of an internationally recognised national association through their golf club.

At the Finals, three rounds will be played in each category in accordance with the rules of golf by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the local rules of the Sentosa Golf Club.

A cut will be made after 36 holes, with the top ten players in each category, and those with the same score as the tenth best player, qualifying for the final round.

“In the event of a tie for the first individual place after 54 holes, the winner will be decided by a sudden death play-off. In the event of a tie for any of the other places, the result will be determined on countback, over the last 36, 18, 9, 6, 3, 2, 1 hole(s)” it says in the BMW website.

The committee’s decision will be final.

The winners, individual and teams, will be determined by adding the scores of all players from a country.

The focus will not only be on the tourney. As tradition at the finals dictates, not only will the golfers get to meet and interact with players from around the world, but they will also get a chance to meet and attend a golf clinic held by a famous pro – who will also present the trophies to the winners at the end of the tournament.

The BMW Golf Cup International first started in England in 1982 when BMW organized the

and the winner is:

Rabshna Patel, the ladies winner receiving her prize from Mehul Sachdev (Marketing Manager Bavaria Auto) in the presence of (extreme left) Karima Popat and the cosponsors from Qatar Air

j. mathenge:

Estimates depth BMW Invitation Tournament for the first time. Amateurs were invited by various BMW dealers and played six regional tournaments, which were followed by the final at the famous Belfry golf course, just outside of Birmingham.

In 1992 the BMW Invitation Tournament was integrated in the BMW Golf Cup International.

This had been founded five years earlier, but was only played in the home of BMW, Germany. Three

years later the competition had flourished to such an extent that the World Final celebrated its premiere in Portugal.

Today, more than 20 years later, it is clear to see how this tournament series has developed. In Germany alone, approximately 13,500 golfers compete in the qualification tournaments for the World Final.

There are three categories: Men A (up to handicap 12), Men B (handicap 13 to 28) and Ladies (up to handicap 28). Qualification tournaments in the respective countries determine a winner in each category. The reward for the victorious trio is a trip to the World Finals, which changes venue each year but is without exception played at some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world.

Countries to have hosted the World Final include Portugal, Thailand South Africa, Argentina and Australia.This time the World Final takes place at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore

December 2011 - January 2012

69 69

•DIARY INTERNATIONAL OBSERVANCES december - january 2012 1 December

World AIDS Day

January 1

Global Family Day

3 December

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

January 5

World Environment Day

9 December

International Anti-Corruption Day

January 6

World Day - War Orphans

10 December

Human Rights Day

January 10

World Laughter Day

19 December

United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation

January 24

National Girl Child Day of India January 24

20 December

International Human Solidarity Day

January 26

International Customs day

25 December

Christmas Day

January 27

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

26 December

Boxing Day

January 30

World Leprosy Eradication Day

•DEA CLASSIFIEDS www.hotspring.com “FEEL GOOD”

No. 1 Spas Manufacturers Worldwide(Made in USA) www.hotspring.com Agents : www.waterwayafrica.com

WATERWAYS AFRICA

Complete Wellness Solutions-Construction, Equipment & Services ++33 yrs

33 yrs New Pools 300+ Construction

- Best little pumps, Stuart Turner of U.K. 1.5 Bar to 4.1 Bar - Monsoon Brass Twin (new Design) Domestic Booster & Submersible pumps

NBI. GSM: (254) 722/733-511438 waterways@kenyacomfort.com waterways@kenyaweb.com - Professionals with Experience of 400++ MSA GSM: (254)722/733-519153 Installation of Saunas and Steam waterwayscoast@kenyaweb.com -Sole Distributor for Saunatec, the waterwayscoast@kenyacomfort.com largest manufacturer in the world.

www.waterwaysafrica.com

70

December 2011 - January 2012