The Republic of Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian
Ocean, about 2,000 kilometres off the south-east coast of the African
continent.
The country includes the island of
Mauritius, the island of Rodrigues, which is 560 kilometres east, the
islands of Agalega, and the archipelago of Saint Brandon.
The
size of Mauritius is about 2,040 square kilometres, roughly the size of
Nyeri County. The capital and largest city is Port Louis.
With
a population of about 1.3 million people, Mauritius is one of the
richest countries in Africa, with a per capita income hovering around
US$10,000. Since independence in 1968, the country has developed from a
low-income, agriculture-based economy to a middle-income diversified
economy.
The economy is largely based on tourism, textiles, sugar and financial services.
In
recent years, information and communication technology (ICT), seafood,
hospitality and property development, healthcare, renewable energy, and
education and training have emerged as important sectors, attracting
substantial investment from both local and foreign investors.
My
taxi driver, Armonie, understands his country’s economic direction, and
to my surprise he is actively marketing his country as the best in
tourism and property development. My many socio-political questions lead
him to quickly tell me that if I buy a beach property, I will become a
citizen.
OPPOSITION WILL WIN
Other
than a few colour decorations in front of homes representing different
political parties, you cannot tell that the country is planning for a
General Election on 10 December this year.
The
opposition will win, he says, adding that their socialist agenda is more
appealing to people since the ruling class have forgotten what they
were supposed to do. The country is highly ranked for democracy and for
economic and political freedom.
Tourism here is big,
with highly developed products. The island is becoming one of the most
popular destinations for tourists from all over the world looking for a
high-end holiday on an amazing, tropical paradise island.
It
possesses a wide range of natural attractions as well as many man-made
attractions, making the sub-tropical climate enjoyable. There are
beautiful, clean beaches that would shame Mombasa, calm sea conditions,
and tropical fauna and flora complemented by a multi-ethnic,
multi-cultural population that is friendly and welcoming.
FLOCKING TO BUY PROPERTY
The
number of tourists visiting the country has grown from a paltry 18,000
visitors in 1970 to a little over 1 million visitors in 2013,
contributing more than $1.5 billion to the economy annually.
A
new mega-airport is ready and can take more than 6 million visitors a
year. The airport was built by the French under a Build Operate Transfer
(BOT) model over a ten year period. New high-end hotels dot beaches
around the country. Real estate development compliments tourism as many
foreigners are flocking the island to buy property along the beaches.
Mauritius has made ICTs her fifth economic pillar. The strategy started in 2011 through the development of Ébène Cyber City. The city is being expanded while leveraging India to develop capacity for its growing service sector.
The
city lies 15 km south of the capital Port Louis and is being promoted
as a new information technology hub. The strategy gels well with a
growing financial sector that has become a magnet for companies setting
up Africa-wide operations.
FOOD AND FUEL SUBSIDIES
I
ask Armonie what makes Mauritius so clean, so organised and so
friendly. “People here respect you irrespective of your background,” he
says.
“My grandmother is African and my grandfather
was Indian. A lot of people in Mauritius are of mixed descent and that
makes it difficult for any one group to discriminate (against) any of
the people here,” he added.
As if he had forgotten something he said, “Everybody here is well taken care of by the government”.
I
later learnt that Mauritius is a welfare state with a wide range of
social protection schemes, ranging from free education from pre-primary
to tertiary level, free health services, free public transport to the
elderly, the disabled and students.
It also provides
subsidies on basic food stuffs like rice and flour as well as on cooking
gas, but these good deeds often get criticised, the more reason why
majority of Mauritians think that the socialists would be better in
running the country.
Some think that a lot needs to be
done in monitoring public expenditure on subsidized goods and services,
but most citizens of Mauritius believe that their tax revenues are
distributed fairly.
'WE HAVE PROBLEMS'
Back
in Kenya as I walk out of Immigration, I am hassled by many people
selling taxi services. In more organised countries, these hustlers would
bear identification badges and all of their vehicles clearly marked as
taxis in order for anyone to trust them. It is a security measure.
I agree to take one from a quieter fellow and we trek some 200 metres to his vehicle. As we adjust our safety belts, I ask him, Habari za nyumbani? (what is going on here at home?). Tuko na shida (we have problems), he replies, as he continues to explain all that is wrong in the country.
I
sit quietly to reflect on my interaction with Armonie in Mauritius. In
my mind, I am saying to myself that if this is what tourists to Kenya
are hearing from our drivers, then we need not spend a single coin
promoting tourism.
FLASHING LIGHTS
As
I flip through the newspapers, (and) virtually all the columnists are
complaining about security, responsibility and accountability. The
private sector is on trial.
On TV, politicians are
spewing hate messages at a prominent senator’s funeral. Perhaps they
forgot that they have a platform in Parliament from which to offer a
constructive proposition for the people of Kenya.
From
the quiet and serene environment in Mauritius to the rough and tumble of
Nairobi City, my space is being constrained when I decide to take a
drive to meet a friend.
A matatu is flashing lights at
me from behind, pushing me to drive faster. I give way for it to move at
its own speed. A passenger in the matatu throws out a bottle that
almost hits a pedestrian. Then the matatu brakes suddenly to pick up a
passenger, forcing everybody behind to apply emergency brakes.
Right there I conclude tuko na shida.
Can
we change our behaviour? Of course, yes. The starting point is to
figure out what language to use in educating Kenyans on our values as
spelt out in the Constitution and indeed in our National Anthem.
ENVIRONMENT OF OPENNESS
Key
among the values is governance which entails accountability,
transparency, fairness, integrity, trust, responsibility and commitment.
The problem is that these values are not translatable into any
vernacular.
Further, not many people, including the
learned ones, have internalised these values. This is a process that
must begin with the government embracing open data. Trust is built in an
environment of openness. This then enables citizens to ask the right
questions.
At the moment every citizen blames
government for virtually everything, including matters within their
control. With open data, the blame will be shared. For example, if the
government has released medicines to all hospitals and it happens that
hospital X has no medicine, local leadership or the hospital will take
the blame and even establish who is to take responsibility.
If
it is Free Primary Education, let it be known how much the government
spends on each child and if resources were allocated equitably and
fairly. Public offices must publish what it takes to get what services.
Within no time the perceptions on government will begin to change.
START WITH YOURSELF
Equally,
enforcement of the law must be transparent and fair. The Michuki Rules
had indeed created that perception and it is not difficult to do the
same. I recall seeing dustbins in matatus where passengers dumped their
garbage instead of throwing it out of the window.
Once
these values have been indoctrinated into people’s lifestyles, it would
not be difficult to apply these values into the political process. We
must begin the process of change if indeed we want Kenya to be a
competitive society.
Within the very many systems that
we have, the breakdown of one does not have to translate to all others.
Starting with the one you see in the mirror and escalating to
institutions, we can have a new Kenya within no time.
Norman
Cousins said, “Optimism doesn't wait on facts. It deals with prospects.
Pessimism is a waste of time.” Like Armonie, we must remain optimistic
that we shall deal with our inadequacies in governance
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