Michael Mundia Kamau
P.O. Box 58972
00200 City Square
Nairobi
Kenya

11th January 2005

   THE KENYA COMMUNITY ABROAD (KCA)

Jerry Okungu’s article titled “Kenya's spoilt exiles
have nothing to give this country” in “The Standard”
of 5th January 2005
(http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=9896),
was a candid and frank effort to address a subject
that has been ignored for too long, and Jerry needs to
be commended for this very brave move. In a nutshell,
Jerry stated that the huge Kenyan Community Abroad has
and is not making any tangible contribution to the
development of this country, a view that must be held
to be true, in the absence of much to suggest
otherwise.

The overall position of the entire Kenyan Community
Abroad, needs thorough reviewing, overhauling and
transformation, to immediately halt the monumental
wastage in personnel, funds and resources. Other than
a website (http://www.kenyansabroad.org/), KCA does
not have any meaningful programs running either abroad
or at home. KCA was founded in March 1997 according to
their website, but there is nothing to suggest that
they have filed returns with the Kenyan Registrar of
Societies for the past seven years, returns that would
be invaluable in reevaluating the Gross National
Product (GNP). The failure by the KCA to compile and
file authentic and credible Reports of their audited
accounts and activities over the past seven years,
makes nonsense of their claims that they have made
immense contributions to Kenya’s development. The KCA
has not shied away from attacking purported
exploitation of Kenyans by giant Multi-National
Corporations operating in Kenya. Whatever ills that
the purportedly exploiting Multi-National Corporations
stand accused of, they continue to make annual returns
in conformity with the law. Other than making heavy
contributions to the Kenya Revenue Authority in the
form of a wide array of taxes, Multi-National
Corporations continue to publish their annual audited
accounts in leading Kenyan publications by way of full
page paid advertisements, unlike the KCA which forever
continues to freeload on complimentary slots in the
same publications.

Sylvester Kitua in a January 10th 2005 rejoinder
titled “Okungu knows little about the role of Kenyans
living abroad”
(http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=10294),
claims that that the entire African Diaspora annually
remits back home an amount of US $ 80 billion. Mr.
Kitua does not quote the source of his figure, but
even if one were to assume that only a minute fraction
of this figure, say 0.1 %, is the Kenyan remittance,
then this would mean that Kenya receives an annual
amount of US $ 8 million (640 million Kenya
Shillings), from the Diaspora, which is an outrageous
misrepresentation. These kinds of funds would
comfortably enable the KCA maintain a fully staffed
and running National Office in Nairobi, fully staffed
and running branches in each of the eight provinces of
Kenya, and fully staffed and running sub-branches in
each of the 70 districts of Kenya. Additionally, Al
Kags in a January 8th 2005 response titled “Kenyans
living abroad are doing a lot for their country”(
http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=10137),
claims that the number of Kenyans abroad numbers 1.8
million. Al Kags like Sylvester Kitua above,  does not
quote the source of his figures, but even if one were
to assume that only a tenth of the 1.8 million Kenyans
abroad are active members of KCA, paying an annual
modest membership fee of US $ 20, then this translates
to an annual revenue for KCA of US $ 3,600,000 (288
million Kenya Shillings), from membership
subscriptions alone. These kind of funds would
comfortably enable the KCA maintain fully staffed and
running Chapters in North America, Europe, Southern
Africa, the East and Central Africa region outside
Kenya, and Australia, where the bulk of the Kenya
Community Abroad is situated. With these structures in
place at home and abroad, the KCA should have been
able to hold numerous awareness campaigns, workshops,
seminars and road-shows over the past seven years,
both at home and abroad. These assemblies would have
succeeded by now in entrenching a much clearer
understanding on living, studying and working abroad,
amongst Kenyans back home. The provincial and district
KCA offices at home in particular, would have been
invaluable and instrumental in coordinating and
organizing relocation of numerous Kenyans to different
parts of the world, to study, work or trade. KCA at
large, would have succeeded in spearheading a massive
socio-economic movement in Kenya through ideology,
akin to the Robert Mugabe led Zimbabwe African
National Union (ZANU), the Yoweri Museveni led
National Resistance Movement (NRM), the Paul Kagame
led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the Oliver Tambo
led African National Congress (ANC), and the John
Garang led Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM),
all of which staged successful movements from outside
their respective countries. Jerry Okungu is therefore
fully justified in dismissing the Kenya Community
Abroad.

KCA is just as bad as the current and previous Kenya
governments that it continues to attack, Kenya
governments that facilitated it’s very existence.
Rather than build a vibrant Kenya Community Abroad,
reports that continue to filter back home are of
disjointedness and desperation. Five years ago,
alarming pornographic images purported to be those of
Kenyans in the United States, circulated extensively
on the internet. Some of the images displayed nude
individuals brandishing the Kenyan flag. The one known
source of the pornographic images
(http://www.mightyafrica.com/warembo.html), even
mentions pornographic video tapes involving Kenyans.
Unconfirmed reports on a host of Kenyan websites
manned from the Diaspora, suggested that the
participants in the said pornographic video tapes,
communicated in both Kiswahili and “Sheng”. Further
unconfirmed reports from the same said websites, also
alleged that pornographic activities by Kenyans was
also rife in Canada. The KCA has not made any
indication whatsoever that it is investigating these
claims and arranging to render assistance and remedy
where necessary.

It is misplaced and unjustified in the extreme to make
a blanket condemnation of all Kenyans abroad. A
sizable number of Kenyans abroad are making useful
contributions to themselves and those back hope. The
policy of allocating huge funds and resources to
settle huge numbers of Kenyans abroad for one reason
or another ought to be however reviewed, if it is not
bearing results. The huge funds and resources used to
relocate Kenyans abroad, had rather be re-directed to
the rehabilitation, funding, improvement and support
of individuals and structures back home.



Michael Mundia Kamau