[wanabidii] INVITATION TO SUBMIT SUBJECT MATTER IDEAS FOR DIASPORA POLICY

Folks,

On January, 21 2015 President Uhuru Kenyatta presided over the launch of Kenya's Foreign Policy and Diaspora Policy. Many in the Diaspora did not participate in the meeting for a myriad of reasons including insufficient notice to attend and frankly, lack of invitation. Whether intentional or not, the Diaspora was left out in this launch. In fairness, we need to give credit where credit is due and this goes to President Uhuru Kenyatta himself for taking a personal interest in the Diaspora. I have no doubt that the President wants a win- win for all stakeholders but he has a lot on his plate leading the country and we shouldn't expect him to devote his presidency to the Diaspora. So, as much as I find a lot that is incorrect about Kenya's Diaspora policy, it is NOT enough to complain about it, we must also do our part to fix it as well.

So this is a continuation of this crusade to get the Kenyan Diaspora to its rightful place. As a first step in getting this thing right, I would like us to first get a list of "things" that we would like the government to address. In other words, if you had your say so or could ask the President and his administration, what would you ask him to do for the Diaspora and what do you offer in return? This could be anything of importance to you, it can be Diaspora voting, Diaspora Representation, Asset and Investment Repatriation, Insurance, citizen protection in foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia, etc. I mean it can be anything.

So I want you to list your "wish-list" of topics that you would like the government to address as a matter of policy. Once we receive your feedback, our team will collate them into a single list and then create a set of policies that we'll forward to the government for consideration. I cannot promise that the government will in fact adopt them all but we would have done our part and I am sure the government will be amenable to come to the table and work with us.

Please make your suggestions practical and reasonable. Please use the following format ( I have included an example:

Item #	Subject /Topic (What)	Purpose (Why) & Brief Description
1	Diaspora Representation	To effectively integrate the Diaspora into Kenya's political and social fabric and harness its full economic potential. Given the Diaspora's immense contribution to the country, a fully operational Ministry/Department shall be established to cater for their interests.
2
3
4
5

 

I look forward to your feedback.

Thank you,

David.