Kenya has a good future

Kenyans have to believe in themselves and their country if the year 2006 is be any different. They have to be more positive, more aggressive and determined. The year 2005 brought with it all manner of challenges but Kenyans prevailed. When the referendum on the constitution came calling, all the doomsayers and self-made Africa experts predicted that there would be violence and even civil war. Kenyans traded abuse and verbal wars and there was even violence in the run up to the polls. But in true Kenyan fashion, peace prevailed after the polls just like it did during the handover of power from Kanu to Narc in 2002.

Kenya is a unique country, blessed with peaceful and friendly people. It has just been voted one of the world's best holiday spots and has seen increased numbers of tourists coming into the country. The economy has continued to record impressive growth which has for the first time since the 1980s exceeded the 5% mark. The infrastructure is reasonably good and the communication sector rivals some of the best in the world. Yet many Kenyans whinge and whine, wrongfully believing that this is the way forward. Even after farmers' loans have been written off (billions of shillings in loans) and the same farmers get paid on time.

The famine and problems that we are seeing now can happen anywhere in the world. Let us criticise ourselves and learn from our mistakes. But that should be the end of it. We should not cling to the negatives and forget the positives and successes that we have had as a nation.

Kenya has a lot of potential and is clearly shaping into a continental powerhouse (it is already a regional one). The future has never been brighter.