Why we must adopt a ‘Kenya First’ policy

Why do we import oranges? Whose responsibility is it to impose high tariffs on food products we can grow here in Kenya? If “America First” tariff policy is good for America; isn’t it just fair that a “Kenya First Policy” should also be good for Kenya?

In Indonesia; I read somewhere that the newly elected president; Mr Prabowo Subianto; recently introduced a new local content policy, requiring that certain products or services can only be sold in that country, on condition that they pass a threshold of local materials or labour used in making them.

Why aren’t we debating such issues? In designing our economic policies; shouldn’t we also be telling the World that our strategic interests as a country come first.

Here in Kenya; we allow even imports of tilapia from China. We uncritically adopt Washington Consensus policies without fleshing out and calibrating what is in our own national interest as a country.

At university; we were taught that tariffs were anti- growth and hold back economic renewal. That they shield domestic companies from engaging in long term investment needed to grow productivity.

Weaker zombie companies are given a lifeline for survival; perpetuating their stultifying effect on the wider economy. This is how we ended up swallowing these orthodoxies; root and branch.

We are signatories to multinational trade treaties and arrangement. But with the advent of Trump and with developments such as Brexit; shouldn’t we also be debating whether placing commitment to multilateral trade arrangements and agreements, over national sovereignty and long-term strategic interest is the right thing to do?

Trade is indeed an important driver of economic growth. But it seems to me that our policy makers are yet to appreciate that sustainable economic renewal can only come from trade levels alone; but from the measures we put in place to transform the domestic material economy.

Until you see a significant rise in productivity and investment; prosperity will not come; even if you sign thousands of economic partnership agreements.

If you scrutinise the fine prints of the many of the economic partnership agreements we have signed; the inescapable conclusion you will reach is that the contents are not consistent with the Kenya first principle.

If I were asked to name policy areas where Kenya first principle should be applied quickly; the first I will name is policy on the so-called Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

We should speed up plans to import Liquefied natural gas (LNG)from Tanzania, so we can force the generators at the Coast to convert to gas. Where the tenure of the agreements has lapsed; we should not renew power purchase agreements.

A policy of “Tanzania First” is why former President John Magufuli found himself facing the wrath of multi-national mining companies and the Western press, when he imposed a ban on exports of unprocessed ores.

I am not your typical climate sceptic. But don’t we all marvel at the hypocrisy of the West when we hear the likes of Trump say “drill baby drill” and former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowing to “max out” UK fuel and gas reserves in the North Sea, when we in Africa are being advised not to exploit and develop our oil and gas reserves.

If you asked me to name one of the biggest economic problems but which we hardly acknowledge as a major economic imponderable of our time; it is the fact that the policy elite in this country is increasingly finding it hard to influence the public and to mobilise support around the policies they are trying to implement.

It may be an intangible factor. But what do you say of an environment where policymakers are increasingly finding it to motivate and inspire the people.

Kenya needs a healer; a leader and a pilot. A leader who can lead the country together and replenish their self confidence; a healer to treat the economic wounds which been inflicted on the country by bad governance for more than a decade; and a pilot to navigate the country to new economic heights.

The writer is a former Managing Editor for The EastAfrican.