What Kenyans must read in Obama snub

Barack Obama, the president of the world’s only superpower the United States of America, has been touring Africa since last week, but has skipped his fatherland Kenya.

This is the time the reality of the saying that whereas “blood is thicker than water, business has no friendship” is dawning on the majority of Kenyans.

It is OK to die for the USA as was the case in 1998 when terrorists bombed the its embassy in Nairobi and caused more Kenyan deaths than American injuries. But America will not die for Kenya and if they do, it is because they want something in return.

Being friendly, is not a euphemism for a qualified friend. They are not our enemies either.

Just a few days ago at lunch, I overheard a woman in the next table complain aloud to what I believe was a man on the other end of the phone line. “You claim that you like me, yet you treat me like a “clandee!”

She went on: “If you really love me, then you must show it in public.” Enough said.

“Clandee” is derived from the word clandestine and in this instance it is unmistakably used to describe a mate in an affair that is meant to remain below the radar screens of official spouses. Stealth mode it is.

That conversation led me into asking whether Kenya, in the diplomatic circles, is America’s ‘‘clandee.’’ A resounding yes was my answer.

Innocence of the supposed brotherly bondage blinds us to the stark reality. It is business stupid! No more, no less.

Kenya is East Africa’s biggest economy by a wide range that will take years for any of its neighbours to narrow down and beat. This is the reason anyone coming to East Africa for business often picks Nairobi as their launch pad.

In the past three months that followed the peaceful March election, the Kenyan shilling has strengthened against all its East African neighbours. The position has remained so to date.

Kenya’s recent muscle power in stabilising Somalia has not been overlooked. The British have acknowledged it and will be in Kenya soon for the next conference on Somalia, which London opted to be held in Nairobi.

Interestingly, the United Kingdom is a signatory to the International Criminal Court, but has agreed to work with Kenya on areas of mutual interest.

The United States is not a member or signatory to the ICC statutes, but has chosen to use it as the excuse for Obama’s snubbing of Kenya. The truth is nowhere near the ICC. America wants resources just as China wants them from Africa, raw and cheap!

The British, have a head start on Kenya’s oil through Tullow Oil. For America, it was a foregone conclusion, that after years of searching without success, oil could only be found in Tanzania and Uganda.

Britain has by far more interests in Kenya than America has. The lengthy debate about Kenya in the House of Commons in March is a clear testimony to this fact.

Because, they have been around longer than the Americans, the British have known how to go about getting things in Kenya and I believe history will prove them right on this account. Our dynamics have been different. As Africa’s second largest non-mineral economy after Egypt, We are good at attracting non-mineral interests.

What we have is rivalled by a few. We have one of Africa’s largest pools of economically beneficial human resources. If this is what is on the cards, then Kenya would make a good rendezvous. The United Nations’ only headquarters outside the developed world, is in Kenya and it is not by chance.

With 500 businessmen in tow, the Americans’ African trip is a search for low hanging fruits.

Minerals fit that bill. Tanzania has an abundance of minerals and plenty of land to lease out. Besides gas, Tanzania is the fourth largest gold producer in Africa after South Africa, Ghana and Mali. It has laws governing the use of natural resources and they may look a lot more favourable to the Americans than in our case.

Until recently, Kenya had a mining department but had no mining policy.

A highly placed government source recently took me through part of the new policy that came with the new Constitution. He said that after travelling extensively across Africa and elsewhere, his colleagues who helped to write the mining policy and laws, came up with one like no other, which today protects exploitation of our natural resources.

First, there is a capping, on how many foreigners can at any given time be hired to exploit our minerals. Secondly, minerals are categorised into strategic and non-strategic.

The strategic minerals can only be mined for the government after which you are paid off for the manual job. The government will then find the market for the minerals. The non-strategic minerals work on the old arrangement where you can mine and pay requisite fees for the quantities extracted.
This policy has not gone down well with those out for low hanging fruits.

It is no secret that East Africa is the next frontier for mining in Africa and to gain big, you must be where the action is. Every interested party will choose where to land and break ground.

As we can see, Africa is growing and with this, huge contracts are on the cards. The Chinese have done pretty well in this area, particularly in infrastructural projects.

Africa is becoming, one big construction site and Uncle Sam wants in so badly. Some of these huge projects include LAPSSET in Kenya. General Electric has expressed interest in this project.

Such contracts, as big as they are, will be negotiated quietly and hence the reason we are America’s “clandee”.

It is like tasting the insect delicacy of Western Kenya by one who is not from there. They are eaten whole and if you must, you will either eat them with your eyes closed or in the dark but the tongue will confirm one thing, yes very delicious.

We are America’s “clandee” also because, ours is about quiet interests.

In fact after refusing to stand for re-election in 1908, Theodore Roosevelt landed in Mombasa the following year for the time of his life accompanied by his son. They had the wildest of safaris that one could imagine.

Coincidentally, many residents of Western extraction, prefer to retire here in Kenya than to go back home. Surely, if life was harder here, then this would not be the case or is Kenya one best kept secret?

Mugun is the head of Special Programmes at Strathmore Business School, Nairobi.