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Fungi Kwaramba The Interview
As the country moves towards attaining President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030, to make Zimbabwe a middle income economy, our Political Editor Fungi Kwaramba (FK) sat down with Kenyan Ambassador to Zimbabwe Lucy Chelimo (LC) to get her views on how Kenya, which is also pursuing the same vision, has fared so far. Below are excerpts of the interview.
FK: Tell us about the bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and Kenya.
LC: Kenya and Zimbabwe enjoy very cordial relations, we have very good relations dating back to pre-Independence periods. Our embassy was opened on the day of celebrating Zimbabwe Independence (April 18, 1980). We have worked together since then. Our areas of cooperation are expanding, we see more co-operation in a number of sectors, especially economic cooperation. We do a number of trade, of course the numbers are not where we want, but the people to people communication indicates that there is a potential to increase. Before Covid-19, there was a bus that would leave Zimbabwe to Kenya and vice versa every day. The small traders have kept our ties strong.
One key aspect of our relations is connectivity through Kenyan Airways. I arrived here in 2015 and the flights since then have gone up to seven times a week from Nairobi to Harare and from 2017, the new route, which is my baby, the Nairobi to Victoria Falls route, began. Our key relations with Zimbabwe is on tourism. We are happy that many Zimbabweans go to Kenya for holidays and the same applies to the Kenyan officials.
We have an agreement that we market each other’s tourist destinations. We have a television network in Kenya, it is a mini-CNN or BBC, it covers the whole world, it also has a tourism section. With my collaboration with Zimbabwe, we agreed that we shall be focusing on different tourism spots in Zimbabwe and now we are currently focusing on Victoria Falls. Every week there will be a segment profiling the Victoria Falls. When our planes are coming to Zimbabwe, our pilots will do a 360-degree circle of the Victoria Falls. We are selling Zimbabwe.
We also have a package which we have, which we will be selling during exhibitions, say in Western nations. We encourage people to fly to Kenya and then from Kenya they can also travel to tourism destinations such as Victoria Falls, Eastern Highlands, and other places. Even as we wait to sign in Kenya, there are some agents that have already started to market the two countries.
The other area of co-operation is education. We now have a lot of Zimbabweans who are going to school in Kenya, the numbers are increasing. We have an agreement on partnership between the two countries, for example, at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, we have doctors who come to Zimbabwe for training and for Zimbabwe, they have doctors who also go to Kenya.
We also bring six magistrates to come and do women law and in Kenya, Zimbabweans go and do their Masters in Environmental Law degrees. We have students from Kenya who come to learn here. Right now I have 38 individuals who came on their own. We also have military co-operation, every year we have two senior police officers and soldiers who are exchanged between our countries for a one-year programme. We also have collaboration on land. Zimbabwe has been on a journey to audit the land, Kenya was collaborating with Zimbabwe on the land audit and management.
FK: Zimbabwe’s economy is going through a difficult phase that has been compounded by Covid-19 and illegal sanctions, what are the lessons that Zimbabweans can learn from Kenya?
LC: Zimbabwe has great potential, Zimbabwe has a lot of minerals. In Kenya, we don’t have that, our mineral is tea, so the potential is there. Kenyan economy is diversified — we have tourism, agriculture, it is key to diversify for more trading.
FK: The Second Republic has spoken strongly against corruption and also we, just like Kenya, are pursuing Vision 2030, what is your take on such objectives?
LC: Kenya’s Vision 2030 was launched in 2008, we are looking at achieving upper middle economy by 2030 and to be industrialised. We are happy to have achieved the middle income target, we are still on a journey to industrialise. What may have given us a good platform to work towards Vision 2030 is a shared vision. If you ask a Grade 1, a Form One, a first year or a PhD candidate what is Vision 2030, they will tell you what it is. If you ask a layman, they will tell about 2030.
Shared vision and understanding have given us a chance, it’s a journey that we have put our hearts on. Each minister has an area of focus, and we have Presidential Delivery Unit that monitors the ministries.
FK: And how far have you gone with industrialisation?
LC: We are not where we really want to be. 2030 is still far, but we would have loved to achieve it earlier, industrialisation requires a lot of resources, something that we don’t have. The good thing is that it is now a shared vision. One of key items of Vision 2030 was to ensure that basic education was free and compulsory, that we have been able to achieve. We were also able to get a lot of support from our friends in the international community that came in to support in education, health and that gives a boost to do what we want.
FK: Just like you, we are also pursuing Vision 2030, to make Zimbabwe an upper middle income country, but unlike you, we have limited access to lines of credit due to the illegal economic sanctions. What are your views on the sanctions?
LC: It is an unfortunate situation because when you are under sanctions, it denies you the opportunity to interact with all potential investors freely, it also denies you an opportunity to attract investors. Investment cost reputation, goes with image, this strangles your effort somehow.
I commend President Mnangagwa, since he came into office he put a great deal of effort on re-engagement, of course it requires support from all of us, the Government and non-government actors. Our President (Uhuru Kenyatta) has made a promise to support Zimbabwe for the removal of sanctions and he uses different platforms to call for the removal of sanctions and we pray that this happens soon, so that Zimbabwe is on the table of nations.
One of the key areas that Zimbabwe has been focusing on is joining the Commonwealth, Kenya is the current chair of the Council of Ministers, it is one area we have pledged to support Zimbabwe and this is all because of the country’s re-engagement efforts. The voice of Zimbabwe should be heard and we are offering a voice to Zimbabwe, however, the biggest effort lies on Zimbabwe and we call on non-State actors to support the President.
FK: What are your views on the fight against corruption in Zimbabwe?
LC: Corruption is a cancer not only in Zimbabwe, but also across the African continent. In Kenya, we are fighting corruption. Corruption in Africa is sophisticated, we have an anti-corruption court just like is the case in Zimbabwe. The Anti-Corruption Commission of Zimbabwe and that of Kenya work closely in fighting corruption.
FK: Your response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
LC: Covid-19 has devastated Kenya because there are no services and yet we rely on services, we don’t have oil or minerals. We were forced to close air travel, we didn’t lockdown completely, but cessation of movement was put in place and then we realised that the numbers were increasing in some cities, so we locked down those communities. Something like Chitungwiza that you don’t get in or get out for 30 days and the numbers began to fall. Last week, we opened local flights and we hope that in August we open international travel, but the numbers are not falling down.
FK: Your impression on Zimbabwe’s response to Covid-19.
LC: I must commend Zimbabwe for having disciplined citizens, they listen to Government directives more than other countries, including Kenya. Zimbabweans listen to authorities and that is really commendable. We have, however, postponed the opening of schools to next year.
FK: Any last words?
LC: A country is not built by a single person, the country is built by a collective effort. The President is doing his best and he needs you to speak with one voice. Please, support the President, he has the right ideas. In Kenya, when something is important, the opposition stands with the Government, you cannot tell the difference between opposition MPs and those from the ruling party.
Online Reporter