Investing in Themselves

　　Kenya’s devolved system of governance，geared toward bringing services， resources and powercloser to the people， has spread to 47 counties acrossthe country.

　　Bungoma， one of Kenya’s counties， has emerged asan example of the country’s best performing areas， accordingto a recent report released by the NGO TransparencyInternational. ChinAfrica’s correspondent JamesMusukuya recently spoke to Ken Lusaka， Governorof Bungoma， on Kenya’s successful decentralization ofgovernment and how China’s aid has helped countiesself-govern. Excerpts of the interview follow：

　　ChinAfrica： Why do you think devolution of governmentis healthy for society？

　　Ken Lusaka： To say that it was long overdue for Kenyato finally embrace devolution would be a big understatement.In fact， African countries pioneered decentralizingpower and South Africa is a shining example of this.

　　Beyond bringing services， resources and power closerto the people， the importance of devolution also includesbridging the gap of rural to urban migration， especiallythe youthful segment of the society in search of employment.

　　The central government had led to a concentrationof major employment avenues， like industries and keygovernment and parastatal offices in the capital Nairobi， ascenario that the devolution system is fast changing.

　　Do you think China’s role in Africa， and particularlyKenya， is transforming the continent’seconomy？

　　The fruits of Sino-African relations are bountiful. InKenya for example， former President Mwai Kibaki left alegacy after he turned around the country’s economy，not entirely because he is an economics genius， but[also] thanks to tapping into Kenya’s bilateral ties withChina.

　　Kenya’s new president， Uhuru Kenyatta， whose governmentis known as kusemanakutenda (we say and do)，is steadily following in Kibaki’s footsteps by associatingwith the East， and particularly China.

　　Perhaps nothing best exemplifies Kenyatta’s lovefor China [more] than making it his first official trip aspresident， outside Africa. I was privileged to be in thepresident’s entourage.

　　Was tourism an important part of your discussionsduring the Beijing visit？

　　The trip would have been incomplete without courtingthe Chinese to make full use of Kenya’s richtourism resources.

　　Ahead of the trip， China Central Television(CCTV)， whose Africa bureau office is in Nairobi，broadcast live the spectacular wildebeest migration，ultimately hosting President Kenyattafor interviews right at Kenya’s world famousMaasai Mara National Reserve. In Beijing， welobbied for the county’s tourism sector.

　　Beyond the spectacular annual wildebeestmigration from Kenya’s Maasai Mara NationalReserve to Tanzania’s Serengeti NationalReserve over the Mara River， Kenya has anextensive tourism portfolio that the Chineseare already tapping into.

　　With 41，000 Chinese tourists flying into JomoKenyatta International Airport last year alone， it cannotbe denied that Kenya is fast becoming a desired touristdestination for China. It’s even more inspiring that theKenyan Ministry of Tourism asserts that the figuregiven above is 10.4 percent higher， year on year.

　　While facts， figures and statistics exist to explainChina’s support for Kenya’s economy through tourism，a cursory observation also attests to promising futureprospects for more arrivals of Chinese tourists in Kenyaand the continent. An example is that the Chineserecently established Eastlands， a five star hotel in Nairobi，the first Chinese hotel of its kind in Africa.

　　What are the key investment opportunitiesyou think Bungoma can offer Chinese investors？Can any county be successful without opening thedoor to investors？

　　The investment opportunities in Bungoma aboundacross the sectors of communication and ICT， tourism，real estate， trade and industry and banking. In the agriculturalsector for example， there’s great and untappedpotential in the processing and branding of coffee andmaize flour for export.

　　As a county， we will give prospective Chinese investorssupport to establish businesses. We will be havingtwo major investment workshops， one in China andanother one in Bungoma， as a strategy to woo Chineseinvestors. During the workshops， the list of potentialinvestment opportunities in the county and other importantinformation for investment will be unveiled.