Monday, April 16, 2012

China’s investments in Africa: Why Kenya should not let the Chinese have a say on how the country is run

 Posted on by Philos Mudis

We all know about China – and its robust economy. I bet you have several toys, electronics, kitchen appliances and utensils in your house with a ‘Made in China’ inscribed on them somewhere.
In recent years, we have seen the influence of the Chinese in the Kenyan economy grow. Many contracts have been won by them, more roads have been built by them, newer buildings have been erected by them, more vehicles from China have taken up space on Kenyan roads. In other words, a lot of money has been flowing from Kenya to China and vice versa in recent years.
Most of these investments are beneficial to both countries. However, it should be noted that a person can sometimes mislead their friends, knowingly or unknowingly. We are not sure whether the current Kenyan government has enough discipline to tell off any country that attempts to take advantage of her beauty.
Kenya usually has tough choices to make when it comes to negotiations with its allies and most of the times the allies have their way, not because Kenya’s weak. Sometimes its conscience tells it to walk away but the flesh has a cunning way of pushing temptation to overwhelm a country’s voice of reason.
It is therefore necessary to look at the root causes of such temptations and how foreign countries achieve their mission of influencing Kenya in a major way.
How this is achieved
-Looking for Kenyan officials who are friendly
You know how this works: pump in money, shake hands, smile for the camera, drink fine wine, stash some money in different bank accounts and realize when it is too late that you let someone hurt your fellow countrymen.
When the contracts have been signed and deals closed, that’s when some of our officials realize that they have made a big mistake. Shame prevents them from talking about it. The truth may only come out several years later when a lot of damage has been done.
And why does this strategy work like a charm? Because, some foreign countries have realized that greed is the only way to Africa’s resources. So they do their assignment very well, whet the appetites of some Kenyan officials and have their way.
Being friendly isn’t a bad thing in itself. It only becomes a problem when you think you are clever while in real sense someone (your friend of course) thinks of you as one really short sighted fool.
And so many Kenyans officials will continue willing away Kenya’s mighty powers because when they sit to negotiate with agents of top economies like China and the United States of America they never ever consult the people who get affected by the introduction of foreign influences in the country.
The government should involve the people and take their views into consideration when it comes to investments made by foreign countries. Why? Most government officials always think about doing what they can (and getting as much as they can) while still in office. That’s where the problem of short-sightedness comes in; and that is why we see previous and current Kenyan governments working so hard to create problems for the next government to solve. In other words, we are creating more opportunities for foreign countries to milk us dry.
Things to note:
  • China can only hurt us to the extent that we allow it to do so. Before we blame China, Britain or USA for our woes, we should ask ourselves whether we smile and flirt too much with foreign countries. We should ask ourselves whether our politicians really know how to handle negotiations when other international players sit on the other side of the table.
Let’s get our house in order and deal accordingly with guests who in anyway undertakes actions that can cause harm to the citizens, now and in the future.
  • China is just like every other country looking for opportunities and making something out of it. China has helped Kenya in many ways and I do believe that Kenya has also helped them in so many ways. We should be cautious about accepting too many gifts (sometimes free things aren’t really free) and giving so much just to please somebody. Some gifts are simply baits. Others are real gifts – and very rare in the current international scene. So let’s give China (and every other country) what duly belongs to them.
Emptying your granaries, while leaving your children starving to death, in order to satisfy the needs of guests (who have something to push down their small intestines) isn’t in itself giving. It is something else – something really bad.
We don’t want a Kenyan government that screams, ‘Made in China’. All we want is a healthy relationship with China and other countries  – a relationship free from self-centredness.
Want to contribute? Share your views in the comments please.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not to mention the elephants who are killed for their tusks to satisfy Chinese's lust for ivory.

Anonymous said...

We do not have elephants, so we do not have to worry about it. Unless we can trick the Chinese into thinking that both Patrick Herminie and William Herminie are actually elephants. Their weights match.

Gill the Hippo said...

If the Herminie brothers are likened to Elephants then Gill is no other than a hippo .....

Anonymous said...

Business is business in return for money.But Chinese so called investment in Africa including Seychelles is nothing more than a strategy to rob African resources.For all those billions Chinese are investing in Africa(estimated at us$150 billions)are consessional loans ,in of words Chinese is simply repalcing the world banks.Like the Euroepan(colonization9Chinese investment policies in Africa is more dangerous than European colonization for aprt of investing Billions(thus astrnomic debts on ordinary African)China in its concsseion loan agreement request thar for any projects its sponosors such as building Assembly,Justice buildings etc..so dictated that in all these prgoramm 70 percents of workers for these constructions etc must made up of Chinese,thus there have been an flow of cheap chinese workers to Africa(which not only a form of colonization)but it create more umemployemnt problems to Afrucan natives for Chinese workers are being paid far less than the already poor salary an African is earning.

The problem goes further when it come to protecting the environemnt,Chinese is not a Nation with have the prtoection of the environment at heart,It is not part of their tranditiona and culture,thus the damage being done in Africa is unprecedent.

Morevoer,Since all those deals being done in Africa have not the concent of the majority of African,these deals are nothing than secret negociation made between china and African dictaotrs which pave the way for future conflict of interests.Likewise,since Afircan depend on Ch8inse t odo their jobs and allow astronomic investment without control,the Chinese indirect(though its offically always deny itas intervention in National politics of the host country,is in fact indirect palying if not influence the National politics of the host country.For on hand,It(china)wants to secure it investment and since the debt created by those loans are so big that African dictators have to voluntarily or unvoluntairy do follow at least partly to Chinese demands.

Conclusion,though Chinese investment in Africa is helping develop Africa it produce much more other contrains and have negative consequences on Africa and African.

But as the above article rightfully stree,the porblem of Chinese inAfrcia is not the Chinese themselves for they are business oriented people but that of those African Dictators who have never taken the opportunity to use and develop their own country by exploiting their resources thermselves.

Jeanne D^'arc

Anonymous said...

Check this article in today's "INTERnational herald tribune"ENTITLE african?s free press problem.It explains and shows how CHina introduction of it CCTV in Africa is politcally aimed at silecting free press
.Subtitle:China is working across the Continent to mute critical journalism.

Written by Mohamed KEita.

Jeanne D'Arc

Anonymous said...

PISSEDOFF

Chinese is the new threat on our motherland after slavery and Euroepan colonialism.We will defence on heeritage for chinses crusaders.

Jeanne D'Arc

Pissedoff said...

I am hoping, yes hoping that China will redress the balance of power that the cowboys have been enjoying for the past 200 years!

Remeber if you know your history you will know that for the past two and a half thousand years up to the 19th century China was the world's biggest superpower!

It's time to redress the balance!
I would give my life so that FAR could be forty again!

Anonymous said...

They will not in Seychelles Pissoff, because Seselwa dont eat dogs and cats.African are starting to run at them and shooting at them,that's why Mugabe kick the ass of white farmer to bring communist farmers.

Anonymous said...

Mugabe kick the ass of white farmer because they brought it to Africa to shit on the africans. :) The same thing will happen to the arabs in the Seychelles.

A FREEDOM LOVING SESELWA

Anonymous said...

True democracy!

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/watch-new-video-shows-shamed-idf-officer-struck-several-left-wing-activists-1.425579

Anonymous said...

Together we defeated South African Apartheid, now we have to join hands to fight these ruffian.

http://972mag.com/watch-israeli-teens-brandish-racism-after-palestinian-children-killed/40004/

A FREEDOM LOVING SESELWA

Anonymous said...

We must get together to defeat those crooks and collaborators,but one thing is clear we already winning.See how PP is tearing apart ,there is an internal fight within the Pp of whom will replace dicator Michel the butcher as next Dictator-in-Chief.There is is also those who just fed up of Michel stubbornness for not providing deomocratic refroms ,and those guys understand one thing that PP cannot survive by practicing absolated policies should it want to stay alive ,thus their oppostion to Michel's continued falied policies and morevoer ,those guys just do not want to see thmesleves in the shoes of Gaddafi,Mubarak,Ben Ali,they want democratic refroms too ,for they know should they be punished, democracy will be much more advantagous for them ,for they will benefits form a fair,independnet justice system following democratic norms would thus save their ass form capital sentence than opting to wait for people's revolution or coup D'etat that would mean ending probably like Gaddafi.

Jeannev D'Arc

oakleyses said...

red bottom shoes, oakley vault, louis vuitton outlet, coach outlet, michael kors outlet online sale, longchamp outlet online, burberry outlet online, gucci handbags, cheap oakley sunglasses, nike air max, nike air max, louis vuitton handbags, true religion, jordan shoes, longchamp handbags, polo ralph lauren, tiffany jewelry, burberry outlet online, coach purses, michael kors outlet online, louis vuitton outlet, michael kors outlet, prada handbags, prada outlet, tiffany and co jewelry, michael kors outlet store, michael kors outlet online, chanel handbags, tory burch outlet online, kate spade outlet, louis vuitton, christian louboutin, louis vuitton outlet online, nike free, true religion outlet, christian louboutin shoes, michael kors handbags, coach outlet store online, polo ralph lauren outlet, christian louboutin outlet, nike outlet, oakley sunglasses, ray ban outlet, coach outlet, kate spade outlet online, longchamp outlet, ray ban sunglasses