REGIONAL DIPLOMACY; IS KENYA A GOLD DIGGER?

(Above picture-Nairobi City which has been hosting Peace talks on Congo where rebels are chasing govt forces and populace from mineral rich areas inside Congo)

A recent survey in KENYA by the Steadman Polling group revealed that Kenyan women are gold diggers! Young women in their early twenties are willing to date and marry old geezers three times their age for money.

Even without the benefit of similar polls,Kenyan muffled diplomacy as a peace maker in the region betrays elements of gold digger diplomacy in its well meant interventionist trends in the strife torn region especially in the mineral rich countries at war with themselves.

Kenya's success in steering a peace agreement in Southern Sudan was hailed world over as a master piece of diplomatic coup in what would have turned out to be the now infamous Darfur for Southern Sudan region.

This was until very recently when there was an allegation that the Ship hijacked by Somali militanists off the Eastern Africa coast port of Mombasa was bearing tanks meant for the Provisional government of Southern Sudan,incidentally ahead of a referandum to establish the southern region as a separate state from the Arab north.

Southern Sudan government is not allowed to acquire arms especially after the kenyan negotiated peace agreement. So the cargo manifest reads that the tanks were purchased by the Kenyan govt.

In recent months,strange canvas covered cargo has been railway freighted to west northern KENYA but the camouflage was unable to conceal that they were tanks meant for Juba based govt.

Now,the world must to understand Kenya's position as the only thriving economy in Africa that is not supported by minerals as is common elsewhere in Africa.

The promise of endless barrels of oil in the virgin newly explored fields must have compelled the Kenyan govt to place itself at a vantage point during peace negotiations knowing very well that such close kinship with the black dominated south will in near future yield returns in terms of cheap barrels of oil in kind from the full fledged govt of southern Sudan after the outcome of referandum on self control.

Such an outcome is so important to the kenyan govt such that there should be no lapses in ensuring that the Southern Sudan govt is equipped with military muscle to ensure favourable outcome whatever the results in the ballot.

One other curious element that has emerged from the hijack saga is the reluctance of Kenyan govt to negotiate with hijackers on ransom. Why do it while infact it is only a broker to the govt of southern Sudan? Too much trouble to bear for its kid sister!

This kind of Kinship with mineral rich regional neighbours is also now seen to be emerging in hosting of the Congo warring parties over the mineral flushed Goma between rebels and the congolese govt.

In its well horned gold digger diplomacy,Kenya is treading a thin line between leaning on supporting rebels who are now in control of mineral flushed areas and propping up a legally constituted govt that might eventually be overrun by rebels and thus lose control of this valuable natural resource to the rebels in which case the rebels might be better kins to Kenyan govt in terms of access to the legendary diamonds of Congo.

Kenyan jewellers process a lot of diamonds and other gemstones for a country that does not produce any!

Like our dear kenyan sisters,Kinship with our neighbouring countries may afterall be based on "scratch my back,I scratch yours gold digger diplomacy".

One wonders who learnt from the other between our kenyan sisters and our good government on this eyebrow raising golddiger business Food for thought!