This region needs ports, pipelines and railways

The Supreme Court of Kenya spent most of last week hearing the election petitions and as usual, newspaper deadlines have not allowed me the luxury of waiting to know the verdict before I can submit my column. So, I will just comment on two small things. The breathtaking performance of a young lawyer named Kethi Kilonzo was one not to miss. The young lady is a daughter to one of Kenya’s best legal brains, Mutula Kilonzo, the former education and justice minister. He was recently voted the senator for Makueni County. As she gave her submission, you could not miss the amazement on the faces of the judges who must have been impressed by how she was holding forte in a courtroom full of her father’s age mates. At one moment she referred to her father – who was seated just behind her – as the camera beamed the proud father’s face. Social media was full of praises for the young lawyer and indeed if there ever was a good advert for girl child education, a lot is owed to Kethi Kilonzo’s court presentation. My second observation about the court case is the fact that in the recent past, our Kenyan brothers and sisters have made live broadcasts a culture. And I am not looking at this from a media perspective but from a governance one. Interviews of judges, police officers and now major court cases, have all been broadcast live for the general public not to doubt the outcomes. I think this particular bit should be borrowed by other East African countries if our democracies are to ever become more participatory. The media also has a lot to gain here. Elsewhere, Uganda, Burundi and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees signed a pact that will see the start of a voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees from Uganda, estimated at about 13,000. This is nothing but a sign of improved security in Burundi. Actually, it is not just refugees moving to Burundi but money as well. A story that appeared in the East African Business Week revealed that medium-sized Rwandan companies were looking at Burundi as a potential investment, according to a study by KPMG. The business savvy Kenyans are already down there and are not waiting for any surveys. KCB opened shop in Bujumbura a long time ago and Nakumatt must be ready to open its Bujumbura store anytime soon. We should not forget that actually President Kibaki made a trip to Burundi to lay the ground for Kenyan investments. As Rwandan journalists were busy trying to get a sound bite from the gorgeous Angelina Jolie who had accompanied William Hague, the British Foreign Secretary, on a trip to campaign against rape in war-torn areas, Tanzanians were talking million dollar investment plans with the Chinese.What East Africa needs is not sound bites from Hollywood stars but real deals aimed at fixing our infrastructure problems. Tanzania’s Jakaya Kikwete hosted the Chinese president on his first visit to the African continent and the results of their meeting are quite impressive. President Kikwete and President Xi Jinping signed several agreements for infrastructural development, top of which will include the building of a port at Bagamoyo at the cost of $10 billion. The port, whose completion is slated for 2017, will be able to handle 20 times more cargo than Dar es Salaam. Yes, you can read that again to be sure. The port will handle 20 million containers a year compared to the 800,000 handled by Dar es Salaam. This project will include construction of a 34km road joining Bagamoyo and Mlandizi and 65km of railway connecting Bagamoyo to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway and the Central Railway. So, what is in it for the Chinese? Well, this Bagamoyo Port will facilitate China-bound shipments of minerals from Zambia, Zimbabwe and DRC via the Indian Ocean. But more importantly, the port is set to become an East African hub for Indian Ocean-bound shipments from countries like Malawi, Zambia, DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. Apart from building the Tanzania-Zambia railway in the 70s, they have already started building a 532km gas pipeline from the south of the country to Dar. If the Lamu port is also completed in Kenya and we have more pipelines to move the oil in Uganda and Kenya as well as better roads and railways, then the region will have few excuses for not developing. Enjoy your Easter. Blog: www.ssenyonga.wordpress.comTwitter: @ssojo81