Editor,

I have just read two letters that touch on the relationship between Kenya and Rwanda. One thing I have noticed is that, as Rwanda opens up and embraces the EAC, more ought to be done to increase interaction between the two member states.

A request had been written by a Kenyan stock exchange trader, Perminus Wainaina, asking how Rwanda’s new stock market operates.

That is a very timely request considering that Rwanda’s new stock market requires further investment, both locally and regionally. Not so many people locally are aware about how a stock market operates.

Kenya’s stock exchange on the other hand had been operational even before it attained its independence.

The Nairobi stock exchange is one of the continent’s vibrant markets, which the Rwandan bourse can look up to for cooperation. Cooperative linkages ought to be explored by stakeholders of both markets.

However what has been amusing me is the low level of cultural understandings among the two countries citizens.

As a Kenyan living in Rwanda, many of my fellow citizens back at home ask me about Rwanda. They still think that Rwanda is still what it used to be.

When I tell them that Kigali City to me is the safest city in Africa they think that I am not telling the truth.

When I tell Kenyans about the investment opportunities available in Rwanda they find it hard to believe that such opportunities exist save for those who pay me a visit once in a while.

Similarly, many Rwandans still don’t get to know Kenya, my country. Many of my friends I have managed to have locally still cannot grasp the sort of diversity and the vibrancy that make up our nation.

They find it unbelievable when I tell them how our country operates. The only thing that many are used to is the normal reported challenges that are abound in Kenya such as corruption and ethnicity.

I tend to think that this gap ought to be bridged in order to foster a better cooperation framework between these two countries.

A Kenyan living and working in Kigali

Ends