An Eye on the Horn of Africa: Commentary by Prof. Peter Kagwanja on the EastAfrican – Aug. 3-9 2013

Last week’s commentary by Prof. Peter Kagwanja* on The EastAfrican caught my eye because it paints a picture of the role of international actors in the region. Perhaps my take away from his commentary is that we may be witnessing the entry of Somalia as the new play ground of global actors.

The unveiling of Unisom is also taking place against the backdrop of the discovery of valuable mineral and energy resources. This is raising fears in America and the European Union over a ‘Chinese takeover’ on the region and thrusting Somalia into the forefront of the fierce scramble for Africa’s strategic resources. This, in turn, is fueling renewed militarism, now everywhere fashioning the geopolitics of the horn. - Prof. Peter Kagwanja

Considering the considerable interest Somalia has been getting be it the Western interests as the professors points out to the interests of China as feared out by the west plus the invasion of the Turks to the party as it were things are bound to get interesting. Given also Kenya has a military presence in Somalia and would want to reap the peace dividends it remains to be seen if the entry of Somalia will be through Kenya. The unfolding Foreign Policy under Uhuru administration seems t be going that route given the president has spoken of strengthening intra Africa trade plus the rise of new wave of pan-Africanism.

* Prof. Peter Kagwanja is the CEO of Africa Policy Institute

Thought Provoking Read: Africa's Big Brother Lives in Beijing by John Reed

John Reed in an investigative piece on Foreign Policy contends that China might actually be spying on Africa. One of the question he possess is Is Huawei wiring Africa for surveillance? 

"Generally, most of the employees operating these systems are Chinese and the arrangements usually include delegating maintenance and decisions about future updates to Huawei as well, thus ensuring the Chinese firm's control of the basic technological architecture's foundation, evolution, and operations,"  - Chris Demchak, co-director of the Center for Cyber Conflict Studies at the U.S. Naval War College

Looking at this from a Kenyan perspective and given the happening on the ground this might actually be true. If you look at Safaricom the biggest player in telecommunications you will notice that it has close relationship with Huawei. One of the goals of Safaricom Ltd is to offer it's services to anyone and that means getting in agreements with Huawei which offers affordable phones to the base of pyramids. This agreements between Huawei and Safaricom usually extend to other areas apart from the hand-set market.

Also, sometime back I happened to have gone to an official launch at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation headquarters and I noticed most of the equipments and renovations of the state broadcaster were installed by the Chinese. This was during Kibaki administration who found a win win situation with the Chinese government. 

When one also looks at the Chinese Consulate in Kenya one will notice that they have a substantially huge complex which is next to Hurlingham plus another office dealing with trrade matters along Ngong Road. Certainly if the all countries snoop on each other but Chinese seem to be on the look out for new trade deals for their companies.

Also, looking at the Chinese benevolence in providing the African Union with a state of the art new headquarters in Ethiopia. This is the same building John Kerry the American Secretary of State marvelled upon in his first visit to AU headquarters. 

The Chinese certainly seem to have done their homework on the continent and now they unlike Americans do not need an African Drone Programme! 

Euro-centric Reads: What to Read on Kenyan Politics by Prof. Joel D. Barkan

Prof. Joel D. Barkan presents a commentary on Kenya’s foreign affairs syllabus reads in the Council of Foreign Relations hosted publication Foreign Affairs. When I read the article I noticed some glaring omissions and deliberate characterization of Kenya’s history. First, to come to my eye was the division of Kenyan history into three epochs.

Its [Kenya’s] history can be divided into three eras: the late colonial period and the transition to independence in 1963; the post-independent period from 1963 to 1990; and the country’s two-decade-plus struggle since to become a modern democratic state. - Joel D. Barkan

In my opinion the post 1990’s period cannot be balked into one set and as much as the Kenyan state has had its struggles in transforming to become a modern democratic state. The new millennium should have merited an era by itself so that in the least we had at least four eras. The most notable and significant events in the Kenyan state have happened in the new millennium. The most notable being the smooth transition of power in 2002 from the then monolith KANU to the opposition party NARC. The election period and coming into force of a coalition government in 2008 after a bundled general election in 2007 and almost eventual collapse of the state. Then there is the coming into force of a new constitution in 2010 and challenges thereafter and problems within the framework of the coalition. Throughout the period of 2008 to 2012 Kenya has had its fair share of influence and interventions by international actors. Also, it’s during this period is when the ICC court came calling with significant consequences in the long haul.

My second problem with Prof. Joel’s piece is his collection of publications which he curates. The readers of this piece are typically non-Kenyans and they might not have the local knowledge we possess and thus they might miss some quintessential narratives. A good example is his analysis below that follow the era one reads.

Like most African countries, Kenya is a multiethnic society created by European colonialism. Unlike most former colonies, though, its territory was extensively settled by Europeans. That process resulted in a system of racial domination similar to those that emerged in Zimbabwe and South Africa. - Joel D. Barkan

While it is true Kenya is a multiethnic society with its fair share of problems tribalism being one of them. The settlement by Europeans could be considered extensive however this settlement happened in the fertile areas within the country. This resulted in the phrase ‘white highlands’ being coined .  

My bone of contention with Prof. Joel is in analyzing the present day contemporary politics he did not branch out of academic circles to explore modern day contemporary literature. Kwani? Publications offer insights into the contemporary political landscape. Also, his curated list lacks some African voices especially the pre-independence era. Facing Mount Kenya by Jomo Kenyatta is a book he ought to have considered for inclusion plus Not Yet Uhuru by Jaramogi Oginga for the second era.

In the same breath I must say I agree with most of the assertions presented in the article especially concerning few publications covering the present day contemporary politics.

Regrettably -- and somewhat surprisingly -- no concise overviews of contemporary Kenyan politics have been published in recent years. - Joel D. Barkan

Perhaps this could be explained by the mere fact that unlike the West where there are foundations which support such endeavors. Plus, universities which have a strict tenure system where a professor’s tenure is based on the number of publications and research projects they have done. In Kenya there are very few foundations which engage in supporting universities to conduct and publish this kind of research. This has lead to a phenomenon where you have researchers from the north jetting in to southern countries and conducting research funded by foundations from the northern.

U.S. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger at MindSpeak

It came as a pleasant surprise to me to know that Ambassador Michael Ranneberger was to speak at MindSpeak. Being the first sitting diplomat from another country (in this case the USA) invited to speak at the business club meeting. But I came to realize the ambassador is a man of firsts in many fields.

The ambassador started his presentation by shifting our mindset of the fact that by him being the ambassador of US in Kenya he is then by implication the CEO of the mission in Kenya. Giving a few statistics of his portfolio, He has 1500 employees under him, 500 Americans and 1000 Kenyans and that the mission handles about US dollars 1 Billion which flow to Kenya through the various agencies his country has in Kenya. 

Ambassador Ranneberger was not shy to speak about his previous engagements which you can say have influenced him to the ambassador he is today. Surprising is the fact that he had not anticipated a career in the diplomatic corps and that he was going to post a letter in the post office that he saw an advert to do a test to join the corps.

He had been studying his PhD in history and was about to do his dissertation and then as he put it become a teacher in one of the colleges.  He also shared with us that when he started his stint in the diplomatic corps he was a shy person and could not fathom talking to a group of people (like the house full MindSpeak).

He also hinted on his style of doing things in that he does not read theological books but relies mostly from his experience and that his style is both positive and confident.

Pointing on the time when the Post Election Violence was occurring. One of the things at his disposal was flying out his staff BUT he didn’t take that option. What he did was to rely on his instinct and experience, assembled his staff or troops if you like and told them that the situation would be over in a couple of months.

He also talked briefly on the role the US played behind the scenes to resolve the crisis. Pointing out on how the principals were a taken by the dailies headline which ran across all spectrum of newspapers in Kenya ‘Save our Country’.

Being an American citizen he did not hesitate to talk about his country and values. Talking about what is going on in the States ‘Tea Party Movement’ and the electoral swings they experience. Also pointing out that American values are always consistent what may change are the tactics or Strategy.

He also talked of how he had met the President during his Chief of Mission Conference last year and how the President is abreast on what is happening in the country.

He also talked on his definitive speech he was to give on 25/01/2011 at the American Camber of Commerce dinner in Kenya.

Ambassador Ranneberger also talked briefly on the three major programmes his government is involved in Kenya.

• PEPFAR US dollars (580 million) Largest amount spent in a single country the whole world
• Democracy and Governance initiatives i.e. Youth Programmes
• Environment and Agriculture i.e Feed the future programme (Signed in 2010 at KARI)

US Interests in Kenya

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One of the things we like the US ambassador is that he is forthright and this was NOT an exception. He candidly pointed out the US interests in Kenya which are;

1. Democracy and Stability (As is the US goal any part of the world)
2. Development
3. Regional Stability (Pointing out Somalia & Sudan). Mind you Sen. John Kerry was in Southern Sudan during the referendum to secede from the North
4. Counter Extremism

However he did not talk much about China which has been making in roads in this region and South Korea which I have noticed is also coming along.

However, during the Q&A he did point out Robert B. Zoellick who brought a new paradigm to Washington of NOT viewing Beijing as a Competitor in the World stage but as an ally during his tenure as the US Trade Representative before joining World Bank.

So he welcomed the positive competition that China is currently giving them. Noting that US ceased from doing infrastructure projects he does not mind China assisting African countries in developing their infrastructure. However, he cautioned in passing that he had observed NOT many African were involved in these projects, so the issue of Kenyans gaining from these cooperations was minimal.

Youth Issue

The ambassador talked about why the state dept is investing in the youth alluding to the fact that the youth are the future.
Hence programs that target interacting with the youth have gained traction in the state dept with the ambassador present on the social networks.

Here are some of the snippets from the ‘Hope for the future speech’ which was delivered on Tuesday 25/01/2011 at the American Chamber of Commerce dinner where the ambassador was the keynote speaker. I consider this speech definitive because it has lots of stats which are credible considering the US sponsors quite a number of Statistical undertakings in the country.

“President Obama has a strong interest in developing the leadership skills of young people, and last year held his first Young Africa Leaders Forum.  He has charged young people to be agents of change and to “stand up for democracy and transparent government.”  Our $45 million “Yes Youth Can” program will empower hundreds of thousands of youth to participate in the development of their country, and expand their peaceful participation in the democratic process. 

Our work with youth supports the initiatives of young people themselves.  Importantly, the National Youth Forum works across ethnic and political lines with a common agenda to promote peaceful reform. We welcome the National Youth Forum’s efforts to establish County Youth Forums in every county.  We are establishing a $10 million youth-led and youth-owned Youth Innovate for Change Fund that will provide youth with opportunities to access capital for economic development”.  

“Over half of Kenya’s population lives in poverty, living on less than $2 per day.  Kenya is ranked in the bottom 20% of countries in the UNDP Human Development Index.  Real unemployment among the two-thirds of the population which are under 35 stands at nearly 50 percent’’

“Support for the empowerment of youth to expand their participation in the democratic system and to assist them to develop businesses to create new jobs”.

Agriculture

"Kenya has recently been designated a focus country for two of President Obama’s global initiatives.  Through the Feed the Future Initiative, working with the Government of Kenya we have affirmed a commitment to achieve significant agricultural development objectives, including alleviating the suffering of the over 2 million Kenyans who are chronically food insecure.  Last September at KARI, I announced an initial USG investment of $29 million to support Kenya’s agricultural strategy through the Feed the Future initiative.  We will also continue to provide humanitarian assistance to combat drought".

"Real success in the agricultural sector, however, will require the GOK’s commitment to the political and economic reform agenda, including land reform, a strengthened fight against corruption, restructuring and/or elimination of the 34 agriculture-related parastatals, including the NCPB, and removing protectionist tariffs and import licenses that increase the price of basic foodstuffs to the poor".

The writer is an intern at Ministry of Agriculture, Planning Department and contributes/one of the admins of NairobiNow.

National Democratic Institute was in Town!

The National Democratic Institute Board of Directors were in town at the beginning of this Month (September 2010). The NDI committee members had jetted into the country for a historical (Annual General meeting during its 25th Anniversary) board meeting  first ever to be held out of American soil (as if they had run out of place to hold their meetings in America or the rates there were too high!) They said they had done this gesture in acknowledgment of the democratic strides the country had taken to realize a constitutional dispensation. So am thinking next we should expect a G.O.P think tank is next in line to hold its meeting in Kenya or Nairobi County as it is now called under the new dispensation can lobby to hold the Democrats and Republican Party conferences for US, national people's congress standing committee for China and Labour party conference due sometime this year to select their party head!


Not that I am opposed to the NDI holding its symbolic meeting in Kenya considering that Obama's Administration did not send any high profile dignitary to attend the promulgation ceremony. I had hoped to see the US top diplomat for Africa, Ambassador Johnnie Carson. But considering NDI is affiliated to the democratic party then perhaps NDI had a personal message from the US president to deliver in Kenya. I was also surprised to find in their website that they were involved in mediating after the 2007 post election violence. 
The NDI also welcomed our man in Washington (picture below) with a public lecture to highlight the implications of the passage of the new constitution

US President B. Obama with our ambassador to the US Amb. Elkanah Odembo

The NDI in collaboration with Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) Africa program are also organising another event 'moving forward with constitutional reform in Kenya' and have invited chair IIEC, David Ndii and Pheroze Nowrojee


While in Kenya the board did meet a broad spectrum of the populace starting with the President, Vice President, Prime Minister and Students. 
In their meeting with the president, they got assurances from the head of state that his government was committed to implementing the new constitution and that priority had been given to the passage of new laws to anchor the new constitution. The president pointed out that the public needs to be educated on their role and that of the government under the new structures of government envisioned in the constitution.

President Kibaki with NDI board members

The Vice President also got a chance to speak to the board and was able to post of  what transpired in his official communication line (Campaign for 2012 have started in earnest!)

H.E. Kalonzo Musyoka meets Global Board of NDI chaired by Madeleine Albright.

The ODM was not to be left behind and seem to have had the better part of NDI trip to Kenya however much was not availed to public apart from the photo ops with the former US Secretary of State. Let hope they will return the favor and hold their next ODM Delegates conference in US. Considering they were taught a thing or two about democracy.

Albright with ODM luminaries

However, what fascinated me in this whole NDI visit was the public lecture at Taifa Hall (our equivalent of Ancient Athens Public discourse gallery!). Too bad I missed the discourse BUT I was able to get what went down thanks to K24 (This is Louis) which I have been looking for to upload to this blog but to no avail. However, the whole public discourse was facilitated by Louis Otieno our equivalent of Fareed Zakaria. The discourse was on two topics;

• Helping Democracy deliver by Madeleine Albright, Former US Secretary of State
• The Role of Legislature in the implementation of reforms by Thomas Daschle (Senior Policy Advisor DLA Piper)

Senator Tom Daschle (who is also a vice chair of NDI) in his address highlighted the four pillars of democracy. This are;

1. Tolerance
2. Respect to the rule of law
3. Participation
4. Leadership

While former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright talked about democracy and economic prosperity and if the two are synonymous and what comes first if there is anything like that.

The Chancellor of the University (UoN) Dr. Wanjohi was there to wrap up the discourse with his pet subject of JFK airlifts (This time he added to this story of his that they were questioned by the FBI before departing to the US) and occasionally dropping that he knew Obama senior who was one year ahead of him. 

Portraits 101!

Came across some pretty interesting article on Newsweek on art from the good old USA. Check it out!



Artist Jonathan Yeo discusses why former Alaska governor and ex-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is a great subject for a portrait made out of cut-up pieces of pornography. The porno-fied portrait of Palin was listed for $50,000 and sold in early August. Yeo's other subjects include George W. Bush and Sigmund Freud.