West or East, Kenya's delicate balancing act

When it comes to playing on the international stage, Kenya struggles to maintain balance in the midst of competing internal and external forces. Its current challenge is to balance between high expectations and the reality of internally and externally induced obstacles. It is to balance the handling of competing big power expectations involving China and the US.

Kenyans appear to be anguishing, partly propelled by repeated leadership disappointments. In times of shortages, politicians pad their nests and then engage in unlimited intramural fights that have little to do with the country. As ODM agonises over Aisha Jumwa and her Kilifi powerbase, Jubilee besmirches itself with the "Kieleweke" and "Tangatanga" factions insulting each other in public.

As politicians behave badly, repeated bad news about the corruption sewage undermines plausible government mega projects. On top of reports of financial misdeeds at the national and county levels and concerns over high national debts, a disillusioned public watches legislators trash and make the Salaries and Remuneration Commission irrelevant.

This creates and increases the feeling that escalating taxes are for gluttonising the powerful. Such feelings contribute to speculations of socio-political uprisings, with ready made actors waiting.

After roughly 50 well-organised political activists demonstrated at Uhuru Park, former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka praised the demonstrators, talked of the “interesting” Sudanese upheavals, and offered to demonstrate.

Housing Project

Corruption and the upheaval mentality undercut those eager to perform. Housing PS Charles Hinga, in his virtual lone ranger crusade for “affordable housing” mandatory levies, struggles to overcome an image problem.

Explaining how everything will work, he even held a Jua Kali deal signing ceremony to encourage artisans to make money by providing doors and windows for the Parklands Housing Project, which he promises will be ready for occupation before December 2019. These are jobs which Kenyans should embrace. His credibility will shoot up if he can deliver on the commitment. Although Hinga works hard to be persuasive, however, he is fighting a national credibility deficit.

The credibility deficit is tied to external linkages and big debts. The debts, part of the national infrastructure development agenda to open up and link different parts of the country, has a three-fold long term benefit.

First, the intended national economic stimulation would lead to the rise of new urban centres, industrial zones, and to subsequent demographic changes. Second is security enhancement by quickening the movement of security forces to where they are needed.

Third, infrastructure would enable fulfillment of the Big Four’s jobs, housing, food, and health. The three benefits call for big borrowing which links the country to big lenders.

Chinese interests

Kenya is used to balancing powerful forces and not always successfully. It did that in the 1960s when it opened equal number of embassies in both sides in the Cold War. In the 1970s, it acquired reputation as the provider of “dynamic compromise” on conflicting positions within the OAU.

It remained “capitalistic” in economic thinking while positively revising its attitude towards communist countries in the 1980s. It increased its “Look East” approach when the Conceptual West mounted anti-Kenya belligerence.

Among the benefits was the Chinese built Kasarani Sports complex for the 1988 All Africa Games. Since the Chinese were also “looking out”, the interests of the two countries converged. The convergence of Kenyan and Chinese interests developed into Euro envy and called for Kenya’s balancing acumen. While accusing the Chinese of cheating Kenyans, the Conceptual West woke up and started looking for opportunity to build roads.

Japan, with its public relations wanting, built urban roads only to see the public think the Chinese did it. The Americans, after grumbling about China in Africa, also jumped in. They secured the Nairobi-Mombasa major highway. Kenya’s ability to balance and manoeuvre between conflicting Chinese and Western interests gives it the best of both sides.

Prof Munene teaches History and International Relations at USIU