The Swiss Ambassador to Kenya, Uganda,Rwanda, Burundi & Somali, Mr. Jacques Pitteloud was recently on Jeff Koinage's Bench and remarked that Kenyans had no idea what a beautiful and blessed country we live in!
Havent we all heard that line before? Every Kenyan has a handful of foreigners they know that have decided to make our country their home for good. With about 60,000 mzungus who dominate rallying, large-scale farming, conservation ranches, tour and travel hospitality facilities, consultancies, etc in the whole country, we cannot complain that we have no more space for them.
Well known figures like Michael Joseph, Bill Lay, Steve Smith, Michael Renneberger, Edward Clay have in past been associated with schemes aimed at ensuring they remain in Kenya either by way of marriage to a local lass, work permits or in the recent past via the dual citizenship provision in the new constitution.
These are just some of the more prominent foreigner we know, but there are hundreds other less prominent ones out in the country side who have made Kenya their home. There is one called Twell in Chuka who leads a peasant's life on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. There are many others who came by courtesy of Peace Corps, holidays, gap year and a host of other reasons before deciding to stay for good.
So what makes so many foreigners make Kenya home?
Is it our pleasant weather? Over 300 days of sunshine can be alluring to a Briton, but is it a good enough reason?
Is it the low living costs that allow many expatriates to live like kings in palatial homes and spoilt by a host of servants?
Is it the segregated rich man-only neighbourhoods like Muthaiga, Karen, Gigiri? Is it true that most other African countries do not have the benefit of almost colour segregated neighbourhoods like we have in Kenya?
-Is Kenya's strategic location in the region? If that was the case, Tanzania would qualify on the same account? Or Uganda? What is strategic about Kenya? Location in relation to US, Europe? North Africa seems more strategic to Europe as the Caribbean is to US.
Is our claim of international standard facilities? The UN regional offices? What international standard facilities do we have? Are we a regional communications hub for airlines, roads or telecommunications?
Is it true that we are accent-free English speakers! Really? That we are cosmopolitan?
Could it be our cultural awareness? Kenyan culture of world culture?
Is it because we are the ultimate Safari Country? National park in the city boundaries? Is being two hours from deserts, parks, lakes, coast, snow, tropical rain forest, rift valley, etc such a strong motivation?
Apart from the good people, we also attract the not so desirable characters in droves. Are they here for the same reasons that keep the clean folks here.
Or are we a country of easy virtue? We accommodate anyone with the right amount of money? Drug traffickers, human traffickers, money launders, pirates, perverts, political and economic refugees, genocide perpetrators, terrorists,
Can any of these reasons make a well travelled expatriate or business man choose Kenya over another 200 possible countries around the world?
Maybe if we figured why other people are in love with our country, we may just learn to love our country too and stop dreaming about the "gold-paved" streets of the west.
