At 50, Kenya has achieved much and still has a lot to look forward to

A view of the Great Rift Valley from the Nakuru-Nairobi highway view point. PHOTO : Suleiman Mbatiah/NATION. 

In Summary

• Yours is a young and entrepreneurial society. Your Constitution, and the freedoms that it enshrines, is one of the most progressive of its kind in the world.
• Today the UK/Kenya relationship is a modern one. The colonial era is past.
• The UK is supporting Kenya in ensuring the rule of law and tackling the scourge of terrorism

By Mark Simmonds
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As Kenya celebrates 50 years of independence, its relations with Britain are still intertwined. The moment when the Kenyan flag was raised in December 1963 was a special one, where Kenya marked the end of the colonial era and took a major step on the road to becoming the nation it is today.

With this important anniversary of Kenyan independence — combined with the celebrations and commemorations of the life of Nelson Mandela — it gives me great honour to be in Africa at such an extraordinary time for the continent.

I am proud to be representing Britain at this week’s celebrations, and to be delivering a message of congratulations from Her Majesty the Queen in which she describes a special and significant relationship with the Kenyan people.

Kenya itself played an important part of the royal story as it was here in 1952 that Her Majesty learnt of her accession to the throne. Historic ties like these have helped to underpin a strong relationship whose roots run deep.

Kenyans are rightly proud of what they have achieved over the past half century. Yours is a young and entrepreneurial society. Your Constitution, and the freedoms that it enshrines, is one of the most progressive of its kind in the world.

With the largest economy in East Africa, you have the means to fulfil Vision 2030 and reach middle-income status by the end of the next decade. The Jubilee Government’s goal of double-digit growth is one that we fully support. Your diverse landscape and beautiful wildlife — so precariously threatened — is a global asset that offers huge potential for tourism.

Your politics are young, dynamic, and digital. You are blessed with natural resources like oil and mineral wealth, wind and geothermal power. And you have made a strong mark in international sport, especially in producing world-class athletes.

So there is every reason to be excited about Kenya’s future.

Today the UK/Kenya relationship is a modern one. The colonial era is past. We share the same goals: Prosperity, inclusive growth that benefits the poorest, and shared security.

We work together in partnership, based on mutual respect and shared interests.

More Britons visit Kenya each year than from any other country. The UK is Kenya’s second-largest export market after Uganda.

UK-associated companies form five of the top 10 taxpayers in Kenya and the largest private sector employers. From the number of Kenyans studying at British universities to our defence relationship, our partnership is broad, deep, and mutually beneficial. I welcome that and I am ambitious for what we can achieve together in the future.

We are already cooperating on a wide host of issues. Through our development programme the UK is making a long-term investment in Kenya’s future, spending Sh18 billion a year to help the poorest Kenyans enjoy a better life through better provision for health and education, tackling conflict and instability, and helping people help themselves.

Our defence forces train together. And the UK is supporting Kenya in ensuring the rule of law and tackling the scourge of terrorism – a shared interest very much on all our minds since the Westgate tragedy.

But there is more we can do. I want us to double our bilateral trade, to create jobs and growth in both the UK and Kenya. I want cooperation on defence and regional security to continue to thrive.

Doing all this requires commitment and responsibility on both sides. We must nurture our links and the open and honest relationship we both value. That means being ready to confront difficult issues and deal with them frankly, respectfully, and in line with our shared values.

Nor should we ignore the fact that our shared past has not been without fault. The UK/Kenyan story has difficult chapters that we need to confront, as the recent settlement with Mau Mau veterans showed.

Although we should never forget our history and indeed must always seek to learn from it, we should also look to the future, strengthening a relationship that will promote the security and prosperity of both our nations.

The ability to recognise error in the past but also to build the strongest possible foundation for cooperation and friendship over the next 50 years are both hallmarks of our democracy.

My sincere congratulations to Kenya on this 50th anniversary. Happy Birthday!