More education abroad has led to more remittances Pic/Files

In a period of 15 years, that is, from 1995 to 2010, the Kenyans in Diaspora sent over $10 billion dollars, which is about Kshs 700 billion, to buy family food, pay for education, develop real estate, pay hospital bills, make donations to hunger relief and other needs. This remittance factored at average pay of $10 an hour mean, which means Diaspora Kenyans worked 1 billion hours so as to send this money. As 2012 approaches the debate is whether the Diaspora should continue the passive role and continue sending money in next 5 years to Kenya with little or no return or should play a more developmental, management and investment role and channel their money to well tailored investments that can grow their remittances to become new wealth.

There are four things that Diaspora Kenyan can do to play a more developmental, management and investment role in Kenya economy during 2012-2017 period.

Get majority of those elected in National Assembly and Senate 2012 originate from Diaspora
The Constitution creates 290 constituency seats and 47 women seats elected through the county and 12 people nominated based on party proportions. This would mean a body of 349 legislators. The Diaspora should field as many persons from the Diaspora as possible to compete with the goal of having the majority of 175 legislators of the 349 persons who shall be elected in National Assembly 2012. The constitution also creates 47 county senators to be elected and 20 nominated members for a total of 67 seats. The Diaspora should field as many people as possible to get the majority of 34 elected leaders.

To achieve any substantial development the right policies should be enacted. To achieve this, the Diaspora should go for nothing less than winning the majority in both houses by fielding 394 candidates. They should also field 47 contestants for Governor and as many county assembly candidates. On the other hand those who do not run should consider supporting those who vie for the seats. The initiative by Dr. Wilson Endege, as can be read in Diaspora for 2012, offers the best roadmap to getting to 209 seats. If one wants to start the process of becoming a candidate Email diasporake2012@gmail.com for more info.  

Support a platform that works for them
At an average of Kshs 100 billion a year in the next five years the Diaspora will can send Kshs 500 billion. If every shilling remitted went to the growth sector and wealth creation and further the wealth created at a factor of 5 during period, this would mean a wealth of Kshs 2.5 trillion created. This Kshs 500 billion on the other hand at a multiplier effect of 10 would anchor the economy to grow by Kshs 5 trillion in 5 years as projected in the platform. This growth would generate an additional tax revenue of about Kshs 700 billion. Thus the platform would double the tax revenue to Kshs 1.4 trillion and also ensure efficient management and usage of this revenue.    
 
Prepare to invest and open private companies in Kenya
Once the Diaspora have supported candidates to run so that the right laws can be enacted to support the platform, the Diaspora can prepare to invest their remittances into projects that will be initiated around the country. Almost 50% of the new technologies and inventions come from the U.S inventors and the Diaspora entrepreneurs can set up companies that produce the new products in Kenya and reduce the current imbalance of trade caused by Imports from the East. This would also create thousands of new jobs.  The hindrance of this has always been failure to have a policy that attracts business. The policy of 10% kickback only attracts corruption. This can be changed through the right legislation in the national and county levels. The Platform advanced by Diaspora would give the right incentives toward this.  

Using Singapore Example
The platform advanced by the Diaspora is based on progress of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current Kshs 5 trillion to Kshs 10 trillion. This ambitious platform is similar to the plan that was initiated in Singapore in 1960, when the Per Capita Income of Singapore was on the same level as that of Kenya, but due to efficient economic planning in Singapore, Kenya was left behind, and, indeed, today Singapore has a GDP of about $300 billion for 5 million people, a per capita income of over $60,000 while Kenya has a GDP of $65 billion for 40 million people, a per capita of $1,700. Singapore has left Kenya behind by over $58,000 yearly income per person in the last 50 years.

If, for instance, we refer to the issue of housing the Singapore plan built 10,000 housing units a year through the government agency. This was considered impossible in light that the agency had only built 10,000 since it was founded. The plan headed by Lim Kim built 10,000 units in one year and 51,000 units in five years by 1965. Kenya’s National Housing Corporation, the government building agency in Kenya, has built 43,000 units in the last 44 years since 1967 as posted in their website. Note Kenya population is 8 times the population of Singapore and all persons who are currently running for political offices have been in government. How do you expect them to have any impact on the economy?   

Diaspora Kenyans are the only Kenyan minds that have been pushed to the limits required to shape the growth of a country. The change needed can only occur if 209 legislators come from Diaspora for the next parliament who have a zero tolerance on corruption and use commonsense to shape the legislative laws that will enable Kenya to develop to greater heights.