Security warnings - a quiet weekend in Nairobi nonetheless

Henry Wanyoike and his running partner Joseph

My husband ran the 10km at the Standard Chartered marathon with quite a few of his work colleagues and our gardener, and managed not to get bombed by Al Shabaab.  Phew.  So glad that the incredible charity event went off without a hitch (they even dodged the rain that has been pouring down intermittently all weekend) and people turned out in record numbers as usual. 

I felt a bit shifty and guilty for not running once again on Sunday morning once again when my husband's alarm clock went off - not least because the spokesperson for the charity 'seeing is believing', Henry Wanyoike, paralympic and gold medal winning marathon champion - came to our kids school on a sports day recently with his running partner Joseph and gave us all an inspiring motivational talk.  He lost his sight when he was 19.  Read more about the marathon here.  When it came close to the time, as usual I had excuses aplenty - next year we'll do the family fun run at least, ... promise.

Shopping centres that were quiet(ish) on Friday following security warnings, were heaving once again (and chaotic) by Sunday.  There certainly is general fear of terror attacks - a taxi driver I met on Saturday said,
"Have you seen these Somalis, carrying two guns each?  They are not afraid to die.  That is why we Kenyans fear them."

While people are certainly behind Kenya's move into Somalia to fight Al Shabaab and are continuing life as usual, last week, hotlines were reportedly jammed with calls by Kenyans reporting sightings of anyone vaguely resembling a Somali in the city.  A friend's work colleague said that it has been common for passengers to refuse to board a bus/matatu if there is someone who looks like a Somali already inside.  And yet, the person arrested and found guilty for the two grenade attacks of last Sunday/Monday on a nightclub/bus stage - was Kenyan.  I wonder what will happen next.  Nothing hopefully.

For the latest Economist article on Kenya's war on Al Shabaab - click here

Should we be worried? Kenya v al-Shabaab

Kenyan Soldiers

During the past week or so, events have been moving fast.  The recent kidnappings that took place within Kenya, (Lamu, Kiwayu, Dadaab) served as a catalyst which saw Kenyan forces going into Somalia on 16th October to seek out Al Shabaab, in spite of Al Shabaab denying any involvement in these crimes.  Much of Southern and Central Somalia is under Islamic militant Al Shabaab control and the humanitarian situation in Somalia has come to a head.  Over recent months, Kenya has seen tens of thousands of Somali refugees cross the border into Dadaab camp daily due to the ongoing civil war and drought in the horn of Africa.  Dadaab Camp is designed to hold 90,000 refugees - there are now closer to half a million there.  Many fear that the camp is shielding members of the al Shabaab group too, who may be passing in and out, posing as refugees.  It's now the largest refugee camp in the world.

flooding at Dadaab

I think that this is a proud moment for Kenyans, the majority of whom are 100% behind the action, even in the face of grenade attacks that took place Nairobi in a downtown nightclub (Sunday) and during a busy time for commuters in the city centre (Monday) - suspected to be Al-Shabaab retaliation (though these are certainly not the first grenade attacks to have happened in Nairobi).  People vow to continue as normal in spite of reports of security threats.  Police presence on city streets has visibly been stepped up and Police chief Mathew Iteere managed a coup on Tuesday when his cops arrested a Kenyan man with a stash of 13 hand grenades and numerous guns within a Kayole estate (thanks to a tip off) - who admitted to being responsible for the 2 recent attacks in Nairobi and a member of Al Shabaab.

Read related BBC news article here

security threats

Meanwhile, in the Eastleigh area of Nairobi, commonly known as 'Little Mogadishu' - many Somali immigrants without proper papers have gone into hiding fearing a police crackdown in the area will see them sent out of the country.

Map showing Kenya's proximity to Somalia

The consensus is that Kenya's hitting back in order to defend her (somewhat porous) borders has been a long time coming.  The fact that Kenya has been brave enough to wade into lawless Somalia which has now not had stability for 20 years and after the stinging defeat of US forces in Black Hawk Down in 1993, is something that foreign powers are extremely grateful for too.  American Ambassador Scott Gration says that the US agrees with Kenya's military action in Somalia and while they are not part of the offensive they pledge to continue to give 'training on terrorism' and support Kenya with its security issues.  The French are helping with more practical logistical support, helping with transportation of soldiers and weaponry in and out of Somalia.   

A set back came about when on Monday, the president of the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia suddenly changed tack from openly supporting Kenyan military action, publicly announcing that Kenya was working in partnership with the TFG in Somalia, to announcing that he does not want Kenyan forces inside Somalia but only wants Kenya to train and provide logistical support for his troops. MPs in the TFG Government have expressed surprise and disappointment at their President's remarks, causing further confusion and ordinary Somalis came out waving Kenyan flags and burning images of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed in towns in southern Somalia such as Dhobley Town where Al Shabaab has recently been flushed out to demonstrate.  People there were reported to have been saying; "We want Kenya and Somalia to fight Al Shabaab in every corner.  We do not have any other hope for life" . 

In Dadaab refugee camp within Kenya, sadly many medecins sans frontieres staffers and other foreign aid workers have left since the kidnapping of two female Spanish aid workers there last week.  The Kenya newspapers showed a photograph of an empty and abandoned MSF health clinic in Dadaab.

It's also been raining heavily in Southern Somalia which has made the entire Kenya offensive very difficult since the outset, though Kenya has overpowered Al Shabaab in many towns and is apparently making good headway. 

On Tuesday 2 more foreign aid workers (a US woman and a Danish man) working for Danish Refugee Control were kidnapped from inside the northern part of Somalia in Puntland which came as a surprise since up until now, this area has been considered relatively safe and is not under Al Shabaab control.   The story is that their Somali guards/staff were complicit in organising the abduction.  They have been arrested. 
Read more here

The fact that many of the the kidnappings have involved foreigners, means that the expat community who have historically been fairly exempt from local political upheavals and disturbances are now feeling spooked.  But I don't think they have any particular reason to react in this way - especially if they avoid places near the Somali border - which the foreign office has advised people to do.  I personally am not planning to visit Dadaab camp, Somalia itself or the very north coast of Kenya any time soon and I'm willing to bet that very few people not involved in the war or aid effort are.

There have been rumours of security warnings about possible targets for attacks being large shopping centres and places where not just Kenyans but expats hang out which has caused a frisson of alarm amongst expat housewives that I know - but these sort of security warnings are fairly common here and I don't think a particular cause for alarm.  The reason foreigners have been targeted for kidnap is because of the perceived increased bargaining power they hold for ransom. I don't see that they would be particularly a target for bombing - and the recent grenade attacks showed a lone al Shabaab militant choosing easier targets of a low security bus stage's and bar, rather than high security shopping centres.  Toughen up gals!! 

One (curiously a South African) friend said, "doesn't stuff like this make you feel like going home?"
"No!" I shriek - envisaging myself in the future as an old expat granny in Kenya driving about with a shotgun on the passenger seat - still saying; "it's fine, it's fine!"
Instead I said;
"Might I remind you that Europe and the States is in the most godawful mess at the moment?!"
I think I have to stop being such an obsessive consumer of news, but I know where I'd rather be.

Raila Odinga is in hot water over missing 'Kazi kwa Vijana' (jobs for youth) World Bank funds totalling Kshs 33 million that have gone missing under his watch.  The project was cancelled on October 11th after the World Bank had undertaken a 4 month investigation into accounting discrepancies.   His enemies in politics (Will-i-am Ruto etc) are revelling in it.

Meanwhile, the capture of Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi and the mobile phone footage of his grisly end was played out over the weekend, with shocking details of his final hours still emerging....

Trip to State House

State House, Nairobi

My husband received an invitation to celebrate Mashujaa Day (Heroes Day) at State House. We figured, ‘why not go?’ We haven’t got much else on. 20th October used to mark Kenyatta Day, but since last year it was decided that it's better to celebrate a more generic heroes day instead.

Working out what to wear was tricky. My husband said,

“it’s Kenya, you could wear anything you like.”

At the time I made a “tsk” sound and yanked yet more dusty wedding guest style clothes from the cupboard. Suffice to say, there were jackets that have not seen the light of day since the 1990s.

Before leaving my husband got a text from a KC mate. ‘What are u guys up to?’

‘Going to state house for tea.’

‘What the hell are you putting yourselves through that for, you plonker.’ Was the response.

I looked outside; it was raining, thundering as well. Suddenly the idea of going to State house was less appealing. My husband and I looked at one another. “Are we mad?” We asked. “Shall we just stay at home?”

But cancelling at this late stage seemed churlish, so we tooled along to State House – umbrella in hand. I have to admit that I felt something of a rush to drive up through the main gate to the colonial (built 1907) white washed edifice. There were lots of people in uniforms, smart suits, fleets of shiny Mercedes, red number plates everywhere. White tents were arranged around four sides of an acre of clear lawn.

We were shown to Area E. There was a program on each chair. After selecting a couple of chicken wings, fish fingers and spring rolls from the Sarova Hotel chaffing dishes we carefully selected a dry seat (rain dripped through the tent here and there). Meanwhile Kibaki, Raila, Kalonzo and the various VIPS in attendance, having emerged along a red carpet from their ‘sit down’ lunch, took their places in the rather more substantial looking ‘top tent’ to watch the entertainment. It was hard to see them properly. There must have been a thousand people there.

The outfits of fellow guests did turn out to be varied. I noticed that in the roped off area next to us, everyone had been allocated packed lunches in white cardboard boxes. Scouts came round intermittently to collect soda bottles and rubbish. There were ladies in shiny suits, headdresses, Sunday best and mixed in with others wearing jeans. The majority of men were wearing suits. Along the row along from us were two ladies in brown leather robes embroidered with cowrie shells holding cleft sticks and there was a man in a real colobus monkey skin cloak.

Entertainment was mainly choral (mostly school choirs) with a couple of traditional dances thrown in. The Indian girls from Oshwal School suffered from a technical malfunction when their music cut out. Others lost the mike from time to time. I noticed that a lot more ‘acts’ had snuck into the formal order of events and looked at my watch more than once. My husband was reading a book that he’d downloaded onto his mobile phone. After half a dozen choirs, a couple of old men came on to sing. Apparently they were real heroes with a talent for music (again, not listed on the program of events). The MC announced:

‘And here is yet another mzee (old person)’.

As one act finished, another filed on, then another and another. I watched the a dozen large brown kites circle overhead and watched the grey clouds move off, then thanked goodness that it was cool. I had sat on a wet patch and wondered if my white skirt had gone see-through. I saw a big school choir waiting then have to admit to feelings of relief when they were turned back due to time constraints. Time had obviously run over. We’d been entertained for a solid hour and a half by this point, apparently this was enough for even President Kibaki.

Dancers

Next dance troupes, choirs and ‘heroes’ took their positions along the periphery ropes to greet President Kibaki and other ‘leaders’ who were getting ready to go ‘walk about’ with about 20 body guards and other supporters in tow, progressing slowly around 3 sides of the square. Ululating, drumming and whistles blowing, many of the dancers were in fantastic regional dress, but again, too far away to see properly. As we took our places by the rope, my husband found a chair in the front row with his name on. We would definitely have got dripped on there.

“Oh well” I said, “shall we go home.”

A few individuals were already filing out. Only prayers and a closing hymn were left on the program. We snuck out before the crush.

An interesting experience, but admittedly not one that I’ll be in a hurry to repeat soon.

Kenya at War

“Al-Shabaab is used to pinching the bottom of a goat (Somalia's Transitional Federal Government) and now that they pinched that of a lion (Kenya), that is more fiercer and more prepared, it should be in for trouble,”

said Prof Buyu of United States International University - Africa

Kenyan soldiers on parade

The BBC news on Monday night had a ticker tape running along the bottom that said; "Kenya declares war on Somalia"   More accurately Kenya are declaring war on Al Shabaab who are the Al Qaeda of East Africa.  Kenya has joined forces with the Somali Trasitional Federal Government to help flush Al Shabaab militants out of their strongholds in Somalia (it took four years for the TFG to get them out of Mogadishu).  There was a brief news item on the subject that followed.  Tonight, Tuesday - Kenya had dropped of the BBC news entirely.  I'm a bit fed up with the BBC and their endless sensationalising, though it's important news nonetheless.

Meanwhile, I understand from the local newspapers that Kenyan forces had gone into Somalia days before any public statement was made.  So covert was this operation that the press had to use archive photos and footage of Kenyan soldiers to run with the piece (much of it taken from the Promulgation Ceremony of the new constitution in August 2010).  'Invading Somalia' to fight Al Shabaab seems to have been a pretty ballsy move that has come without much, if any warning.

Local Kenya newspapers say that towns within Somalia which are Al Shabaab strongholds have already been overpowered by Kenyan forces.  Their next target is the strategically important port town of Kismayu, through which much of the Somali piracy money is filtered to Al-Shabaab.

Now there are increased security threats to Kenya.  Internal Security Minister George Saitoti told all Kenyans to be on the look out for suspected Al Sabaab militants who might be working undercover within Kenya, plotting to wreak destruction inland.  Hotline phone numbers have been set up. 

Quote from The Standard news:

On Monday, the Al-Shabaab militants warned of reprisals in Kenya if Nairobi did not withdraw its troops.


On Tuesday, the terror gang repeated the threats through its leader, Sheikh Hassan Hersi, in a voice recording on a supportive radio station. "They attack us by air and on the border; we must unite and fight back until we clear our territory.

"The Kenyan Government will lose many people and assets because of its intervention in our territory," he added.

Meanwhile, local news channels ask viewers to pick up their phones and send in text messages along the lines of; "any words you might have for soldiers now going deeper into Somalia - (this does not require a yes or no answer)."  SMS messages are charged at 5/- higher than normal call rates.

Al Shabaab also maintain that they were not responsible for any of the recent kidnappings within Kenya.  Kenya say that all the kidnappings were definitely orchestrated by Al Shabaab, apparently the Kenyan Government has irrefutable evidence.

It's scary but there's also an air of unreality about it all.


RIP to kidnapped French woman Marie Dedieu, who we heard today has died while inside Somalia.

Pirates and kidnappers - Kenya

Somali pirates?

It's been hard to bring myself to write anything much this week - there has been such a slew of bad news for Kenya.  The only good news is that it's raining (though rain causing havoc on the roads in Mombasa I hear). 
The Kenya shilling fell further, bottoming out at 107 to the dollar (so far) - new all time lows keep being recorded daily, in spite of various efforts to stabilize the local currency.  We have an election coming up next year, but no one seems to be able to decide on the date.   Politics is as chaotic as ever.

It was almost beyond belief to hear that two female Spanish aid workers were kidnapped yesterday from right inside Dadaab refugee camp where 400,000 Somali refugees are now living.  Authorities believe that the hostages were whisked off deep into Somalia, their Kenyan driver was shot dead during the abduction.  Last month a male Kenyan aid worker, a driver working for Care International, was also taken (Guardian newspaper).

As an outside observer and in no way party to any inside information, the really disturbing development is not just that the kidnappings have turned from sea to land, but the fact that after being kidnapped, many of the victims are not heard of since.  No ransoms demanded, just nothing, silence.   You can't even begin to imagine the plight of the victims who, after the trauma of abduction, are thrust deep into Somalia facing who knows what kind of hardships and depravity.

The Kenya police and government issue platitudes that Kenya/Somali borders are being secured and manhunts have been launched, but we know that the local police service is woefully ill equipped, borders are almost impossible to police or secure and who even knows how much political will is there to get these foreigners out?

The Dadaab incident came hot on the heels of the Kiwayu/Lamu midnight abductions of women from tourist destinations also near the Somali border.  A 56 year old British woman, Judith Tebbutt, was taken from a barefoot luxury beach hotel Kiwayu, north of Lamu on Sept 11th, on the first night of their stay.  Her husband was shot dead during the raid.  Then two weeks later, French woman Marie Dedieu, age 66 and wheelchair bound, was taken hostage from her holiday home.  Police attempts to intercept the kidnappers before they slipped away to Somalia, apparently resulted in two Kenyan navy/policemen drowning.

Understandably, these two incidents have seen Lamu tourism die a death for the foreseeable future.  It's apparently a ghost town today (barring reporters).

What's frightening is that these days there's a real dearth of information once victims are kidnapped - I understand that this is necessary for the safety of the hostages, however, the rumour mill tells us that hostages are very often taken by one gang, then 'sold on' from gang to gang until someone is willing to stick their neck out and risk brokering the ransom deal.  Thus the hostages are moved, location to location and there's a long time lag before any information is released.  It would be heartening to think that there was any recourse for the kidnappers, that they at some point would face justice, but because Somalia is now a lawless black hole, the likelihood of this happening is depressingly slim.

I think that advising people in Kenya to steer clear of anywhere close to the Somali border where possible is sensible.  Even though these are isolated incidents, the damage to Kenya tourism is inevitable.

Banking developments

The Central Bank of Kenya announced a 400 point interest rate rise to 11% in order to combat high inflation and stabilize the local currency, the Kenya Shilling, which has rapidly lost value against the dollar over the past couple of months (see previous post).  Bad news for those with loans and mortgages, however local commercial banks and money markets have been reportedly impressed by this show of affirmative action from the often dithering regulatory organisation.

At the same time, the UK's Bank of England announced a second massive round of quantitive easing - QE2 (the first was in 2009), in order to counter the effects of global economic slowdown.  Bad news for UK savers and pensioners.  The question being asked is; will this work?

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8812260/World-facing-worst-financial-crisis-in-history-Bank-of-England-Governor-says.html

The First Grader movie about Maruge - the oldest Kenyan primary school pupil

The First Grader

Watched a TV review of a British film called 'The First Grader' last night. Not sure how it managed to fall so far under my radar since it was released in May (US)/June (UK), but often foreign movies and documentaries made about Kenya are poorly circulated here. The TV program I watched was one of those reviews that basically tell you the whole story line and a lot of behind the scenes info too - so I'm not really sure I need to see the movie now - but I think I'd still like to - if only for the footage of Kenya and use of real school children as actors.

I am gutted that they didn't call the movie 'Form One' - which would have been a lot more apt and less corny, however, it's the true story of a man in his 80's who asserted his right to free primary education in 2004 when the Kenya government announced that primary education would be free for ALL (Kenyans). My husband remembers hearing this story on the radio (Kiss FM) and being aware of it at the time back in '04. I am ashamed to say that I was not.

The only problem is that the man, Kimani N'gan'ga Maruge, faced strong opposition to his plan. His teacher Jane (with a curiously South African sounding accent in the movie) championed the old man's right to learn to read and write - she too faced threats and abuse from local authorities and pressure from her husband to give up the old man as a lost cause. The sub plot is an exploration of the old man's personal demons from the past - he had been a Mau Mau freedom fighter and, once captured, was abused by the colonial officers who imprisoned him as a young man.

I gather that international reviewers found the movie fairly saccharine and the directing too focused on tugging on the audience's heartstrings (a lot of close ups of the lead's rheumy eyes etc), but that the actors' performances (particularly the children, Jane and the old man) were actually very good, effectively saving the performance from sickly sweet.

In 2005 Maruge got the chance to fly to New York to speak to the UN about the importance of primary education.  Having endured the loss of his property in 2008 post election violence and a subsequent stint in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp (while continuing to attend school), in June 2008 Maruge was moved to Nairobi to a retirement home.  Undeterred he 'reported' to a new school in Kariobangi.  What a character.  Sadly Maruge died in 2009 of stomach cancer.

Movie Trailer:

The real Maruge:

Will the Global Financial Crisis be the making of East Africa?

An impertinent question I know, however, I just had to ask.  It sort of follows on from the last post.

Since the financial outlook globally is now so dismal, surely Western governments will have to cut, even suspend their aid budgets to Africa for now?  The Wealthy West has suddenly become the Indebted West and for a while presumably East Africa and other developing nations will be left to fend for themselves financially? - So what happens if aid money is no longer flowing in to prop up corrupt governments and government officials?  Will this global financial crisis represent the beginning of a sea change in Africa? 

My favourite pet subject is the perceived value of foreign aid to Africa - I'm talking, in the main, about the government-to-government kind.  I heard a rumour that UK aid money to Kenya is going to be pretty near to zero next year.  Not sure if it's true - but even though David Cameron promised to ring-fence aid at the beginning of the crisis, he could never have anticipated how difficult today's financial situation has become, so it is sounding more and more like a real possibility.

Without the slush fund of foreign aid that has been pouring into the country over the past 50 years since independence, Kenyan politicians might now just have to shape up and personally deliver on some of the promises they make to the Kenyan people.  Just look at how far Malaysia has got in those same years?

Am I being naive here?  Whatever happens, things are about to change.

Wot no local currency? Kenya Shilling is the worst performing currency in the World.

The Kenya Shilling crash

It’s been a glaring issue for a while now, accelerated over the past couple of months, but what has happened to the Kenya shilling? For years the shilling traded at around 80-81 to the US dollar, yet last week it hit a record low of 104.20, losing 24% of its value in this year alone. Speculators say that the exchange rate could still plunge further to 110/even 120 shillings to the dollar. Disaster. Inflation is high (now 17.3% - the original Government target was 5%), some commercial banks have already raised interest rates and economic growth forecasts for this quarter have been scaled down due to the slide of the local currency.

Who is suffering?

Everyone, but most of the burden is being carried by the common man who must absorb increased food and transport prices uncomplainingly. The local chemist, a lovely man at the bottom of our road who works a 12 hour day, 7 days a week, was saying that his small business has been hit hard.

“Pharmaceutical products are costing 30% more these days. It’s okay for the exporters but real Kenyans are suffering badly.”

I think that a lot of people/the powers that be, have stuck their head in the sand for a while hoping that the shilling would rally – but now serious questions are being asked all over the place, MPs have asked for Parliament to look into the issue, Raila Odinga has taken action by creating a task force to help stabilise the shilling. Even President Kibaki felt he had to address the issue. He made a public statement at the ASK show last week, to say that the Central Bank and government agencies will institute measures towards stabilising the exchange rate of the shilling and overall level of domestic prices. Watch this space.

Why?

So why has the value of the shilling spiralled downwards in this alarming way? It’s a pressing question for me personally since we are K shilling earners and property owners in Kenya. Frankly, it’s worrying. After copious reading of local newspapers, it seems that there are various contributing factors in this sudden devaluing of the local currency, though it cannot be put down to a single cause. I am confused.

1. 2012 Elections

The first rumour I heard (back in July) was that the shilling depreciation, was that this is a common phenomena before each Kenya election. The theory is that value of the shilling is artificially pushed down so that foreign dollars being brought in from overseas will buy more local currency to fund election campaigns. In that case it’ll pass, I thought to myself. It hasn’t.

2. Insecurity due to US and Eurozone economic crises

The Eurozone is a major trading partner of East African countries. Rising economic uncertainties elsewhere in the world are undermining prospects for exports, official aid and private capital flows (incl money coming in from the Diaspora). Local markets are nervous. Overseas demand for Kenyan export goods such as flowers, tea, coffee and vegetables are expected to fall if they hasn’t already.

3. Lower rainfall/Drought

A poor season also led to lower domestic production of food. Another consequence of low rainfall is a higher price of electricity. As I understand it, Kenya still relies heavily on hydro-electric power. When dams are low, the government buys in diesel generated fuel from private firms as a short term measure. A higher cost of power is particularly a burden for manufacturing. Check out the ‘fuel cost charge and forex adjustment’ charges on your electricity bill.

4. Higher cost of Imports

While many larger companies have been absorbing the higher cost of imported goods for some time now, hoping that the local currency crisis was a temporary glitch, they will now start passing on higher costs to their customers. For instance, Safaricom last week announced higher tariffs and call rates for their customers because they can no longer carry higher costs their end on customers’ behalf.

5. Currency speculation – rows between Central Bank and Commercial Banks

The Central Bank has accused commercial banks of hoarding US dollars with a view to making more money as the shilling value falls. Commercial banks have accused CBK of sending out mixed signals (i.e. pumping dollars into the economy then talking about raising interest rates to attract forex/dollar investors to the country) and a general failure to address the crisis properly.

Self perpetuating problem: Foreign investors have been exiting the economy since August as a result of the weakening shilling. Leading Kenya economist Aly Khan Satchu estimates that the Kenya economy has lost $1.1 billion in forex for this reason.

There’s a general crisis of confidence that the Central Bank is not able to properly defend the currency and whatever it does next will be too little too late.

“The shilling is falling because of a behind the curve monetary policy strategy.” Aly Khan Satchu said.


What next?

My fingers are tightly crossed that the situation will improve. After all, how much worse can it get? While Kenya’s problems may pale slightly against the debt crisis being played out in the rest of the world, they feel real enough here.

Let’s hope that Kenya strikes oil in the Turkana district/Lamu basin by the end of the year, as is widely speculated they will. Geological surveys are complete, all the signs of oil are there and drilling rigs are being manoeuvred into position as we speak. What will the discovery of oil do for Kenya? Does the Kenyan Government have the wherewithal to manage the country’s resources to the benefit of Kenyans on the ground or will it sell out? Needless to say, the Chinese are already poised to be first in line for raw materials.