So I just had confirmation that my work permit renewal application, which has been pending since submission in July 2013, has now been rejected. They will not renew it unless I can come up with an inordinate amount of money to invest in Kenya. They take no account of the fact that I was born in Kenya and this is my home, or that my father was also born here and my family have been here for nearly 100 years and have helped build the country. They take no account of the fact that I was a dual citizen (Kenya and U.K.) until the age of 21. Neither does it seem to matter that I have lived, and worked, and paid taxes, and been an upstanding law-abiding Kenya resident for the last 26 years. They take no account of my very valuable contributions to both the horticultural and tourism industries over the last 25 years. Horticulture: between 1993 and 2002 I trained hundreds of smallholder Kenyan farmers on how to grow and process their crops for export (ironically to the U.K. supermarkets) and how to apply pesticides safely and efficiently. Tourism: an industry I have been involved in for almost 20 years on and off, during which time I have contributed in no small way towards the establishment of numerous community wildlife conservancies (esp. in the Masai Mara) which are now accepted to be the best way of conserving our iconic wildlife species outside of the gazetted protected areas, and ensuring that the custodians of the wildlife derive tangible benefits from it. I have also been active on a number of important tourism committees here in Kenya, including the Kenya Tourism Federation (Environment and Conservation, and Safety and Communications Committees - both for 5 years), the Ecotourism Society of Kenya / Ecotourism Kenya Committee (for 5 years, 2 of which I was Secretary, and helped to set up Africas first eco-rating scheme for tourism accommodation facilities) and the Examinations Committee of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association. I have also undertaken consultancies on sustainable and responsible tourism and have trained many Kenyan safari guides at various smaller lodges and camps around Kenya. During my years as a safari guide I have acted as an enthusiastic ambassador and educator of the incredible attractions Kenya has to offer, including raising funds in excess of $750,000 dollars for community and conservation projects in marginal areas of Kenya (schools, clinics, water resources, uniforms and equipment in Masai Mara, Amboseli and Samburu). Yet now I have been denied the right to work and build up a business aimed at showcasing Kenya and employing Kenyans. Despite the fact that I have not been able to work for the last 8 months I am expected to now come up with the kind of money I could not even obtain by robbing the tills at Nakumatt Westgate (hypothetically speaking). And yet, had I been a Kenyan, born in the U.K. to a U.K.-born Kenyan father, and had spent nearly all of my life in the U.K., there is absolutely no question that I would have been granted a British passport decades ago! I am not in Kenya as a parasite on State handouts, I pay my way, my presence in Kenya is of benefit to Kenyans. I do not have foreign bank accounts stashed with millions of dollars that I have made in Kenya and then spirited out of the country. This is my home. It has been for 46 years, and it WILL be for as many years as God grants me to come. Does anyone have any suggestions, contacts or ideas. I want to contribute to Kenya and to help build Kenya. I REFUSE TO PAY ANY BRIBES, and I refuse to become a victim of the xenophobic sentiments I am currently sensing directed at me because of the colour of MY skin, and because of WHO I AM. I am PROUD to have been born in Kenya, I am proud to have lived here and touched the lives of many Kenyans in a positive way, and I would like to stay here. Thank you.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 10:21:07 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015