Kenya Marches Forward: A Time to Engage in Self-Congratulation
Kenya remains an exemplary African state as far as peace and stability is concerned. Hordes of foreign journalists cover conflicts in neighbouring countries from the safety of comfy hotels in the capital Nairobi. They may spew gobs of vitriol and criticism on their host country, but they know that without Kenya they have nowhere from which to cover the DRC, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Northern Uganda, Southern Sudan, Darfur, Ethiopia and Eritrea and the little conflicts that take place in this region.
Kenya’s friendly people, its weather and diverse climate and regions all make it an attractive place to be. With its magnificent wildlife in the plains and hills and golden beaches that drape the coast, the country is one of the world’s hottest tourist spots. No wonder the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have visited the country and so has Bill Gates. And millions of ordinary folk and a phalanx of celebs have visited the East African dream pot. And yes, they came as tourists.
Add to that Kenya’s talented and well educated human resource pool and you get a picture of a rising nation. Its business sector glimmers and poses the most serious threat to South African dominance of the continent. Kenya Airways, the pride of Africa is ranked the top African airline (wow, you should see its Boeing 777s). With its disciplined armed forces that are the envy of the region, Kenya continues to play an important role in peacekeeping duties worldwide. Kenya has struggled to provide improved services in hospitals and now also offers free primary education for all. The government has seen the salaries of civil servants and the police, army and teaching force improved and raised to hitherto unheard levels.
But the country is still struggling to develop its infrastructure. And now we have fallen behind Uganda in the world GDP rankings. There is need to go back to the drawing board. At least we have seen the economy grow by 4.3% for the first time in nearly a decade. That is a good starting point. The next step should be the revival of the agricultural sector and then the development of light industries.
That way we will be starting to build the foundation of a strong nation.
Kenya’s friendly people, its weather and diverse climate and regions all make it an attractive place to be. With its magnificent wildlife in the plains and hills and golden beaches that drape the coast, the country is one of the world’s hottest tourist spots. No wonder the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have visited the country and so has Bill Gates. And millions of ordinary folk and a phalanx of celebs have visited the East African dream pot. And yes, they came as tourists.
Add to that Kenya’s talented and well educated human resource pool and you get a picture of a rising nation. Its business sector glimmers and poses the most serious threat to South African dominance of the continent. Kenya Airways, the pride of Africa is ranked the top African airline (wow, you should see its Boeing 777s). With its disciplined armed forces that are the envy of the region, Kenya continues to play an important role in peacekeeping duties worldwide. Kenya has struggled to provide improved services in hospitals and now also offers free primary education for all. The government has seen the salaries of civil servants and the police, army and teaching force improved and raised to hitherto unheard levels.
But the country is still struggling to develop its infrastructure. And now we have fallen behind Uganda in the world GDP rankings. There is need to go back to the drawing board. At least we have seen the economy grow by 4.3% for the first time in nearly a decade. That is a good starting point. The next step should be the revival of the agricultural sector and then the development of light industries.
That way we will be starting to build the foundation of a strong nation.
posted by Kelele Leo @ 11:21 AM
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