Patriot’s Diary # 14: Kenya, a land of wealth

Kenya’s known for a lot of things, her natural resources, her culture, her food and yes of course her athletes. Our soil is the bosom of our nation. It yields so much; minerals like salt, limestone, gold and fluorspar, horticultural produce like flowers, fruits and notably our premium tea and coffee.

This country’s soil is rich and ripe. There is so much more in our fields, guava fruits, potatoes; sweet and Irish, green grams, maize (corn), sugarcane, kales, cabbages and other greens. I can get fresh oranges, pears, plums, bananas, arrow roots, beans, rice, wheat, coconuts, pineapples, cashew nuts, sisal, and cotton. The list goes on and on. This is from my soil, my country, and I take great pride in that.

You may ask, why it is people are starving, impoverished and in distressed. That is a valid question; you may know the answer; corruption, inequitable distribution and maybe pure idiocy. Not all is well, but I believe it is important to recognize that I am fortunate to live in a nation where I can get fresh food, fresh milk and not rely on powdered and processed food. Right now I want to enjoy the great things, so that I can then learn how to take care of them. Being a good steward of what you own or have, only comes from appreciating what that object, person, product does or is.

The womb of this nation has borne a strong work force, a vast education of cultural, school and street smarts. It doesn’t matter who you will interact with, weather it is a CEO with a Phd in Philosophy or a janitor who knows how to make profits from his local kiosk sales. There is vast knowledge and initiative.

We have entrepreneurs. There was a story some years back, of a Kenyan in a remote village who was constructing a plane similar to the one the Wright brothers built in 1903. It may seem like old news, but the fact that someone will spend time and effort to do that is a sign in itself of greater things. I have seen stories on Kenyan news of a teenager in Kisii, a town in western Kenya, who created a radio powered by hydroelectricity, teenagers starting up radio stations from their huts, and young entrepreneurs revolutionizing the entertainment industry in Kenya. The list is endless. That is Kenyans within Kenya.

A lot of economies and industries have Kenyans behind them, be it a Southern African country, a flower farm in Afghanistan, a Kenyan Cocoa farmer in Ghana. They are everywhere. Like any corporate tycoon who wants to spread an empire and maintain their grip on economies. Kenya is like a giant that is unaware of its grasp on global economic clout.

We have professors bestowing knowledge on other citizenry. We are rich with entrepreneurs, diligent teachers and professors, amazingly gifted doctors and nurses, architects, aeronautical engineers, entertainers and dedicated service men and women in uniform serving in other nation’s armed forces. Even though we are spread across, Kenya has a stamp across the globe. All we need is to nudge each other in the right direction, because Kenya is a wealthy empire, an empire I am proud to be part of and striving to steer toward reaching its potential, maybe not just its potential but it’s destiny!