La Banque mondiale réduit les délestages au Kenya

L'Agence multilatérale de garantie des investissements (MIGA), un membre du groupe de la Banque mondiale, a annoncé jeudi avoir accordé une couverture contre les risques politiques à une centrale électrique qui aura pour mission de réduire les délestages ainsi que les émissions de gaz à effet de serre au Kenya.

Cette garantie de 88,3 millions de dollars va soutenir les investissements dans une centrale électrique géothermique à la capacité combinée de 48 mégawatts dans les gisements géothermiques d'Olkaria de la Rift Valley, à 50 km au nord-ouest de Nairobi.
L'énergie géothermique est une source d'énergie renouvelable.
Les centrales électriques qui utilisent l'énergie géothermique pour produire de l'électricté n'utilisent pas d'hydrocarbures comme carburant, ainsi leurs émissions de gaz à effet de serre sont très faibles ou pratiquement inexistantes.
Les centrales géothermiques libèrent environ 1 à 3 pour cent des émisions de dioxyde de carbone d'une centrale utilisant des énergies fossiles", a déclaré Christopher Ang, un assureur du MIGA.
"Avec une capacité de 95%, la centrale géothermique Olkaria III mise au point et exploitée par OrPower 4, Inc. une filiale d'Ormat Technologies Inc., va produire plus de 5,6 kWh d'électricité.
"Comparé à une centrale alimentée au diesel générant la même quantité d'énergie, elle va éviter l'émission de plusieurs millions de tonnes de dioxyde de carbone durant toute la durée du projet", a ajouté M. Ang.
Ce projet soutenu par le MIGA va fournir une énergie propre à partir d'une source locale aux populations kenyanes.
Les nombreux délestages qui sévissent au Kenya entravent la croissance économique de ce pays.
Seulement 15% de la population totale y a accès à l'électricité, tandis que les délestages sont fréquents et que nombreux sont ceux qui attendent d'être connectés au réseau électrique.
Cette centrale de base géothermique, opérant sur la base du BOO (construire, posséder et exploiter) va diminuer les délestages dans le pays en utilisant une des technologies les plus avancées disponibles, "l'unité de conversion de l'énergie" pour exploiter les ressources énergétiques géothermiques.
L'électricité générée par cette centrale sera vendue dans le cadre d'un accord d'achat de l'énergie sur 20 ans passé avec la société nationale de distribution de l'électricité, la Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited.
Selon le MIGA, ce projet ne va pas simplement réduire l'exposition du Kenya aux fluctuations des prix des énergies fossiles, mais également sa dépendance à l'énergie thermique importée tout en aidant le pays à se diversifier en ne dépendant plus uniquement de l'énergie hydraulique pour sa production d'électricité.
Les garanties du MIGA protègent les investissements étrangers contre les risques de la restriction des transferts, de la guerre et des troubles civiles, de l'expropriation et de la rupture de contrat.
"Le MIGA s'engage à aider les investisseurs et les pays en développement à réduire les pratiques nocives associées au réchauffement planétaire par le soutien aux investissements dans l'énergie renouvelable, l'économie de l'énergie et une efficacité accrue", a déclaré Yukiko Omura, le vice-président exécutif du MIGA.
"Nous avons le plaisir de constater que notre assurance contre les risques politiques a pu faciliter l'utilisation des sources d'énergie renouvelable au Kenya et réduire les impacts négatifs du changement climatique".
Le MIGA a été créé en 1988 en tant que membre du Groupe Banque mondiale, pour promouvoir l'investissement étranger direct dans les économies émergentes, afin de soutenir la croissance économique, de réduire la pauvreté et d'améliorer les conditions de vie des populations.

Kenya's Elections a Political Thriller

Kenya is set to choose its next president and other political leaders Dec. 27. Several candidates are up for the country's main leadership role, but it is coming down to a battle between the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki, and the main opposition candidate, Raila Odinga.

Here's more on the elections and the issues at stake:

What's on the ballot?

Kenya's 14 million eligible voters will choose a president, more than 200 members of parliament and more than 2,000 local councilors.

What's at stake?

The election will determine political control of one of the most vibrant economies in East Africa. Kenya's capital, Nairobi, is the main financial, transportation and communications hub for the region.

Kenya is also one of the most stable countries in an unstable area. It borders Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, all of which are currently involved in violent internal struggles or tensions with other nations.

Why should Americans care?

The Kenyan government's cooperation is critical to U.S. efforts to combat terrorist groups such as al-Qaida. Kenya has been a way station for terrorists and the site of violent attacks, including the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, which killed 213.

Who are the key candidates for president?

Current President Mwai Kibaki is running for a second five-year term. His strong points include an economy that has grown steadily over the past five years, and a record of working for social reforms, such as free primary education. His weak points include his advancing age — he's 76 — and a failure to deal with widespread government corruption.

Kibaki's leading opponent is Raila Odinga, 62, who served as a minister in Kibaki's government but has been campaigning as an agent of change. He says he can improve conditions for Kenya's poor majority. Odinga spent nine years in jail for opposing the government of former dictator Daniel Arap Moi.

The third-ranking candidate is Kalonzo Musyoka, 53, whose campaign has stressed his evangelical Christianity. Musyoka trails the leading candidates in the polls, but he could influence an election that's expected to be very close.

What are the main issues?

Economic inequality is a key issue in a country the economy has been improving, but most people still live in poverty. Corruption is considered widespread at all levels of government, and several major government procurement scandals have taken place over the past five years. Violent crime is also a serious issue in major cities, especially car-jackings and robberies. Tribalism will play a major part in the voting, because Kenya has more than 40 tribes. The dominant Kikuyu tribe is supporting Kibaki, who is one of its own. The Luo, the second largest tribe, and most other minority tribes have given their support to Odinga.

N.B. : Cet article est publie a titre de seule information
Photo jointe : L'actuel President Mwai Kibaki et son epouse.

Le vote tribal, facteur clé d`une élection présiden-tielle kényane serrée

L`appartenance ethnique des deux principaux candidats à l`élection présidentielle kényane devrait s`avérer une nouvelle fois déterminante pour les 14 millions d`électeurs appelés à les départager, en l`absence de différences idéologiques majeures entre les deux hommes.

"Nous, les Kényans, ne votons pas sur des sujets de société, nous votons sur des considérations ethniques", dit Maina Kiai, le président de la Commission nationale kényane des droits de l`homme (KNCHR), un organisme public.

A quelques jours du scrutin du 27 décembre, bien habile l`électeur kényan capable de pointer les différences idéologiques entre le président sortant Mwai Kibaki et son principal adversaire Raila Odinga.

De fait, selon plusieurs observateurs, le Parti de l`unité nationale (PNU) de Mwai Kibaki, une coalition de partis formée à la hâte en septembre, et le Mouvement démo- cratique orange (ODM) de Raila Odinga, créé deux mois plus tôt, se résument à peu de choses près à des alliances ethniques.

M. Kibaki est issu de l`ethnie majoritaire Kikuyu, qui a joué un rôle dominant dans la vie économique et poli- tique du pays depuis son accession à l`indépendance en 1963 et représente actuellement environ 22% de la population. De nombreuses autres ethnies, plus ou moins impor- tantes, se sont rangées sous la bannière d`Odinga, un Luo (la troisième ethnie du pays) afin de mettre un terme à l`hégémonie kikuyu.

voir video, exemple de la campagne electorale au Kenya
http://africa.smallshop.com/2007/12/video-raila-in-samburu.html

Nairobi, Get a Nightlife!

Lu dans la presse kenyane : The East African - OPINION

MANY YEARS AGO THE City Park on Forest Road was Nairobi's favourite park with active picnic sites that attracted hundreds of people every weekend.

Not any more. Insecurity has crept in, as has decay. Those who visited it in early 1970s remember it not just for the salubrious surroundings (trees, well-tended grass and all) but also the bandstand, where a brass band would be on hand every Sunday, and the maze, popularly referred to as mtego wa panya (mouse trap).

The story of the decay of City Park signposts the direction entertainment has taken in the country.

With the holiday season with us, the issue of inadequate outdoor recreation becomes more urgent.

It is worse on the tourism circuit, which has largely survived through nature and now badly needs nurture to sustain the excitement Kenya has enjoyed.

Through nature, leisure seekers get to see the wildlife but now badly need variety that can only be achieved through deliberate efforts to provide a vibrant entertainment scene.

Until the 1980s, every major hotel in Nairobi and Mombasa had a good live band and every small bar brought in a band over the weekend, which all helped to entertain people going out on the town. The musicians also enjoyed support from sponsors who provided equipment and regular employment.

Nurture is not about reinventing the wheel but reclaiming it. For Nairobi, it is largely a matter of restoring what has been available all along - recreation for all and not just the rich.

The original city plan inherited from the colonial regime had a clear vision of where entertainment belonged in Nairobi. Kimathi Street was the designated location for the city centre nightspots. This made it easier to direct visitors looking for entertainment spots in the city.

For Nairobi, this has gone all wrong. A location that was the hub of urban night life has been turned into a beer pub crawl dominated by a rising number of pubs.

ALTHOUGH NAIROBI CITY centre has seen new clubs emerge, this has not happened in a structured manner and visitors would certainly have problems locating Club Soundd on Wabera Street or Club Afric on Museum Hill, even though the two are the only facilities that attempts to provide quality entertainment.

Two years ago, Trattoria proprietor Ruffo Gaetano tried in vain to get the Council to convert Mama Ngina and Standard Street into pedestrian malls with live entertainment, ice cream parlours and public benches as a way of promoting recreation in the city centre, but certainly the concept is not understood or appreciated in the city planning.

Kenya needs to tap into other areas of recreation to add value for tourists and residents in the cities. The nurture factor will breathe life into the cities and drive a new vibrant area of commerce and social service.

The business sector is already doing what it can, but the government needs to activate existing public venues especially in this festive season.

Netherlands donates US $41 million for safe water and Sanitation in Kenya

NAIROBI, 6 December 2007 -

More than 1.3 million Kenyans will gain access to safe water and sanitation for the first time, thanks to the Government of Netherlands donation of $US 41 million to the Government of Kenya and UNICEF’s Water and Sanitation Programme. The programme aims to increase access and raise awareness to the importance of safe drinking water and sanitation as well as appropriate hygiene; especially hand washing.

The agreement between The Netherlands and UNICEF was signed in Nairobi by Ambassador Laetitia van den Assum of The Netherlands and UNICEF Kenya Country Representative, Dr. Olivia Yambi.

Dr Yambi, thanked the Government of Netherlands for the generous contribution, noting that diseases related to unsafe water and poor hygiene contribute to 20 per cent of deaths of children under five years. The support covers a five-year period, from January 2008 to December 2013, in selected arid, semi arid and flood prone districts.

This initiative will accelerate the drive towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals on water and sanitation and help reduce infant and child deaths due to water borne diseases and poor hygiene.

The total project cost is US$ 70.6 million, comprising US$ 41 million from the Government of The Netherlands, US$ 7.6 million from UNICEF, US$ 6.4 million from Ministry of Water and Irrigation, US$ 3.6 million from Ministry of Education, US$ 1 million from Ministry of Health and US$ 10.9 million from communities.

The signing followed the conclusion of a Financial Arrangement in September 2006 between the Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation and UNICEF HQ, covering several countries in Eastern Africa. A proposal for the acceleration of Water Supply and Sanitation towards reaching Kenya’s Millennium Development Goals, had been submitted in 2005 by The Government of Kenya-UNICEF Programme of Co-operation, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of The Netherlands.

REF :http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_42108.html

PHOTO JOINTE : Corvee quotidienne, femme Samburu ramenant l'eau au village.

La BM accorde 105 millions d'euros pour l'accès à l'eau potable

La Banque mondiale (BM) a accordé au Kenya un crédit de 150 millions de dollars (104 millions d'euros) pour améliorer l'accès à l'eau potable dans le pays, a indiqué l'institution dans un communiqué vendredi.

"Ce projet doit bénéficier à environ 9,3 millions de Kényans dans 27 districts grâce à l'amélioration de l'approvisionnement en eau et de l'hygiène de base (latrines, égoûts etc.), notamment pour les habitants de quelques uns des plus grands bidonvilles du pays", précise la BM dans son communiqué.

Environ 60% des quelque 37 millions de Kényans ont accès à l'eau potable.

Wangari Maathai : PLANTER LES GRAINES DE LA PAIX

Planter des arbres, en ces temps d’environnement malmené, enracine profondément ces voies impénétrables qui nous mènent à la paix. Et Wangari Maathai assurément en fut la précurseur. Les éditons Héloise D’hormesson ont publié ce mois de novembre, la traduction française de son roman « Celle qui plante les arbres » ( édition EHO, 2007, Paris)



Flash back : Vendredi 8 octobre 2004, Wangari Maathai reçoit le Prix Nobel de la Paix. Elle sera la première africaine à recevoir cette distinction qui honore son double combat pour l’émancipation de la femme au Kenya et ses projets pour lutter contre la désertification qui menace son pays. Avec « Celle qui plante les arbres » nous découvrons le parcours d’une femme remarquable : biologiste formée dans les meilleures Universités étrangères, elle est aussi une opposante farouche au régime Arap Moi. Libre dans sa tête, rien ne l’arrête, à la tête du Mouvement de la ceinture verte « Green Belt Movement » qu’elle fonde en 1977 ; elle se bat toutes ces années pour promouvoir et protéger la biodiversité. Parmi ses combats, protéger les sols, redynamiser les zones rurales, valoriser l’image des femmes.

En près de trente ans, cette organisation a soutenu la plantation de plus de 30 millions d’arbres fournissant du combustible, de la nourriture, du bois de construction. Elle a ainsi permis de faire revivre des milliers d’emplois dans la campagne en assurant un revenu à au moins 80 000 Kenyans (dont 90 % de femmes), leur permettant d’assurer l’éducation des enfants et leurs besoins domestiques. « ... Et l’arbre devint un symbole de la lutte pour la démocratie au Kenya. »

En 2002, elle est Député du premier Parlement démocratique kenyan et en 2003 sera nommée Secrétaire d’Etat à l’Environnement. A l’échelle de son pays, le Kenya, puis l’Afrique, cette femme plantera les graines de la paix. En 2006, elle est décorée Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.

Pourquoi parler d’elle trois après, outre le fait que son roman vient d’être traduit en France ? peut être pour souligner encore aujourd’hui l’actualité de son combat. Car la Terre ne cesse d’agoniser par la main de l’homme et tous les sommets possibles et inimaginables de Kyoto à aujourd’hui, n’y feront rien .

En 2004 pourtant, Wangari Maathai avait réussi le pari fou, d’ouvrir la voie à une prise de conscience et à son insu, à Al Gore, récompensé par le prix Nobel de la paix cet hiver 2007, le flambeau sera-t-il repris à échelle internationale ?

Le développement durable deviendrait-il le cheval de Troie des politiques pour promouvoir la paix ?

L’heure est indubitablement aux leçons magistrales à donner tant au Nord avec ces montagnes de déchets, son industrie polluante, qu’au Sud qui ne doit pas pour autant considérer que la protection des forêts, des animaux et des cours d'eau est un luxe de pays nantis.

Le Green Belt Movement n'est ni Greenpeace ni le World Wildlife Fund (WWF), il n’a pas la puissance financière et médiatique de la fondation Al Gore, mais il offre une vision afro-africaine du problème. Cette association africaine se bat pour l'Afrique, intégrant protection de l'environnement et développement communautaire. L'Afrique doit désormais réagir en adulte capable d'agir par elle-même.

"Les communautés africaines n’avaient jamais commercialisé leur relation à la nature (...) Aujourd’hui elles sont menacées par la mondialisation, la privatisation et le biopiratage."

Bien que Wangari Maathai n'ait pas reçu le prix Nobel pour son seul engagement écologiste, elle a aussi été récompensée pour son patriotisme en faveur de la démocratie et du droit des femmes.
Les Nobel de Wangari Maathai ou de Al Gore récompensent donc toute une génération de militants qui, à défaut de pouvoir s'exprimer sur la seule scène politique, ont travaillé au corps les sociétés, pour combattre le problème de l'intérieur.

Kenya: Why Many Citizens Might Not Celebrate Their 50th Birthday

The Nation (Nairobi)

The average number of years a Kenyan born today can expect to live has been cut to 50, raising fears that majority of citizens would not hit the 60-year UN benchmark of old age.

This follows a rapidly declining life expectancy - the number of years a group of people born in the same year can live - due to a heavy disease burden and changing lifestyles in the country.

But the National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development deputy director, Dr Paul Kizito, said Kenya's senior citizens could still be lucky to live for longer after weathering early challenges in life.

Developing world

The low and declining life expectancy is, however, a big contrast with developed countries where people live for about 15 years longer than those of the developing world. The low life expectancy at birth means that the overall quality of life in developing countries is still poor.

In Kenya, the life expectancy increased from a low of about 40 in 1955 to a high of 60 years in 1990.

However, the trend changed in the early 2000s when it started declining, according to the deputy head of the division of leprosy, tuberculosis and lung disease, Dr Victor Ombeka.

The official blames HIV/Aids, the county's low socioeconomic status and unstable healthcare systems for the declining live expectancy.

"The HIV epidemic led to the re-emergence of diseases like tuberculosis, which is the leading killer of people living with HIV/Aids," Dr Ombeka said in an interview.

Today, TB kills about a third to half of people living with HIV/Aids.

Dr Ombeka says life expectancy is heavily influenced by deaths in childhood. "A key factor for the declining life expectancy in Kenya is the high infant mortality rate-number of deaths in the first year of life out of those who were born alive-and under five mortality," the official said.

According to the expert, the infant mortality rate increased over the same period from 61 in 1996 to 79 in 2004.

Under five mortality rate increased from 90 in 1996 to 122 in 2002.

Mr Nyongesa Wekesa, who is in charge of data processing at the Central Bureau of Statistics said Kenya and other developing countries experienced low life expectancy due to the death of children below five years.

"If the number of children dying is high, as is the case in developing countries, then the average age that people expect to live will reduce," he told Saturday Nation in a telephone interview.

However, he notes the life expectancy could rise again in the country due to declining HIV/Aids prevalence.

"Our life expectancy dropped when we estimated that the prevalence rates were about 13 per cent. But new statistics show the figure has dropped to under seven per cent, meaning our life expectancy is more than 50 per cent," he said.

Infant mortality

"Our health centres are now working well and we have made deliberate attempts to improve the health of our people, which would help us to improve the life expectancy," he explains.

To reverse the trend, the medic says, the country should "target our investments towards decreasing infant and under five mortality, and prolong the lives of people living with HIV/Aids."

According to the official, this calls for more resources for immunisation, TB and HIV/Aids programmes.

In Africa, men's life expectancy stands at 51 years compared with 53 for women.
That is 15 years lower that of residents of the developed world.


Poverty, hunger, diseases especially malaria and HIV and Aids, gender-based violence, rural-urban migration, urbanisation, high birth fertility rates and other issues involving population and development were this week named as key contributors to the reducing levels of life expectancy.

But the dwindling fortunes in the lives of Kenyans is till far higher than some African countries such as Zimbabwe where life expectancy had by 1999 reduced to less than 40 years.

Population profile

According to a World Population Profile released and published by CNN then, Aids deaths would have a larger impact on life expectancies than on some other demographic indicators in developing nations.

At the time, a Zimbabwean was expected to live for 39 years, down from 65 before the Aids epidemic started sweeping across the southern Africa nation.

So bad was the situation that the issue came up at an international conference that ended in Arusha Friday, at which the disease burden facing Africa was blamed for the problem.

None other than Zanzibar president Amani Abeid Karume opened the lid on the shocking drop in life expectancy.

Speaking during the Fifth African Population Conference, Mr Karume termed the issue a key concern for African governments.

But locally, experts attributed the situation to a rising disease burden and changing live habits.

According to HelpAge Kenya chief executive Ephraim Gathaiya, poor treatment of diseases was a key contributor to the drop.

The country was not adequately prepared to offer treatment to people of older ages, meaning sustaining them to higher ages was more difficult.

Higher cases of HIV/Aids that were fewer decades ago, he said, had meant that youthful people were dying at an early age.

"For a long time, once someone contracted the HIV/Aids virus, you were destined to the grave," Mr Gathaiya said.

But the situation has started improving after the State put a number of patients on antiretroviral treatment.

The official also cited the lack of adequate medical personnel- doctors and nurses- as one among reasons contributing to poor access to treatment by adults.

Experts also cite poor diets in several families due to rising poverty.

According to Mr Moses Ouma, a demographer with the Office of the President, poor diets weaken adults' immunity top diseases.

"Many older people do not get a balanced diet, which they need to keep building a stronger body. As a result, they get older quickly and die, explaining the shorter life expectancy," he said.

Feeding habits, especially consumption of fatty foods, contributed to faster death of people at an early age, he said.

Healthier lives

Some of the people who would have lived longer are also dying at an early age because of neglect as they are abandoned by their children in rural areas.

Mr Githaiya said many older people could not live longer as they suffered loneliness at home.

"We used to look at older people better in the older decades but they are left alone nowadays. That means they lack company, which is the other reason they cannot live for as long as they used to," he said.

The demographer also spoke of lack of cash transfers for older people to help them buy essential commodities such as food and lead healthier lives.

PHOTO JOINTE : vieille femme Samburu

UN General Assembly plenary closes with renewed commitment to children

NEW YORK, USA, 13 December 2007

This week’s landmark United Nations General Assembly plenary ended today with a renewed commitment to meeting the goals laid out five years ago in ‘A World Fit for Children’, the plan of action from the assembly’s first Special Session on Children.

For the second time in UN history, children addressed the General Assembly directly and contributed to discussions covering issues such as climate change, education and HIV/AIDS. Millicent Atieno Orondo, 15, a youth delegate from Kenya, was the closing speaker at today’s session.

“This is our final chance to ask you to keep your promises and your final warning that action needs to be taken,” Millicent said. “It is no longer a question of what to do and how to do it, but of what is given priority.

“We call on you, all adult decision makers, to renew your commitment towards us and make us the number one priority,” she added. “There should be no argument about the interests of the child being the number-one priority.”
The declaration adopted by the General Assembly identified poverty eradication as the greatest global challenge facing children.

Poverty the greatest challenge

In a declaration adopted at the end of this week’s meeting, participating member states said that while many gains had been realized in the five years since the first Special Session, much needed to be done to build upon them.

The declaration identified eradicating poverty as the greatest global challenge facing children and families. Despite encouraging achievements, it said, the number of children dying before their fifth birthday remains unacceptably high.

The plenary’s outcome document went on to urge stepped-up efforts by governments, increased international cooperation and more effective partnerships with the media and the private sector to meet children’s needs. Delegates also resolved to strengthen children’s participation in decisions that affect them and said that in all actions regarding children, their best interests should be the primary consideration.

PICTURE : Millicent Atieno Orondo, 15, of Kenya addresses the closing meeting of the UN General Assembly plenary on 'A World Fit for Children'.





VOIR :

ARTICLE COMPLET :http://www.unicef.org/worldfitforchildren/index_42198.html

RAPPORT DU KENYA :http://www.unicef.org/worldfitforchildren/files/Kenya_WFFC5_Report.pdf

UN REPORTS :http://www.unicef.org/worldfitforchildren/index_41467.html

UNICEF WEBSITE :http://www.unicef.org/

KENYA : LECTURES ANNEXES :http://hdr.undp.org/xmlsearch/reportSearch?y=*&c=n%3AKenya&t=*&k=&orderby=year

UNICEF IN KENYA :http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/kenya.html

Lu dans la presse kenyane de ce jour :


Jamhuri a day for deep reflection

Forty Four years ago today, Kenya became an independent country. The last shackles of colonialism were dismantled and a brand new member of the family of nations became not just free, but also responsible for its own destiny.

That is really what independence is all about. An anniversary like today’s, of course, is occasion for great pride and celebration.

But it should also be an occasion for quiet and sober reflection. We have undoubtedly made great strides as a nation. Kenya has remained largely stable and peaceful. Democracy has become well-entrenched, and everyone is free to participate in politics.

Basic human rights are respected and the people enjoy remarkable freedom of expression and association. A strong civil society and a robust free press provide powerful checks on the political class.

The economy is doing relatively well, and that, combined with a modern communications infrastructure, makes Kenya the fulcrum of the wider eastern African region.

Indeed, Kenya enjoys in this region the same kind of importance and stature as that held by Nigeria in West Africa, Egypt in North Africa, and South Africa in the lower half of the continent.

That is no mean achievement. But how far we have come since independence must be weighed against how far we could actually have gone.

And then things do not look so remarkable. We are ahead of our neighbours, not because we have done anything significant, but because some of them handled their affairs in a particularly awful way.

The fact is that while all economic and social indicators look good compared to those of our neighbours and the rest of the continent, we have fallen short in many areas, and in some, we have even gone backwards.

We should be measuring ourselves, not against other nations which have under-performed, but against the success stories that, at independence were at the same stage of development but have now left us far behind.

Those are the standards we need to look at as we assess Kenya’s achievements at 44.