The Chinese Factor

WHY KENYA AND THE ENTIRE AFRICAN CONTINENT SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS OF THE CHINESE INFLUX INTO AFRICA:

The influx of the Chinese nationals not only in Kenya but in the entire continent of Africa, poses a very great danger to the African people in the very near future. Currently the Chinese people are flooding the African continent as though it is a “Chinese immigration relief program“. Most Africans memories are extremely weak and they forgot very easily. Almost all African nations got independence from foreigners less than 100 years ago. Before those Africa nations were colonized, the colonizers followed the same path the Chinese are following today to get into Africa. The Africans allowed the foreigners to settle in their nations the same way they are doing so to the Chinese. When a reasonable number of the foreigners settled in those African nations, they colonized them. The rate at which the Chinese are settling in Africa, indicate that there is a possibility that in the next 20 years , there will be more than 600 million Chinese in Africa. With the help of China, which is currently very powerful economically, the number will be large enough to colonize Africa for the second time, with great ease.

But some Africans will argue that Africans are poor and they need help which they are now getting from china. Then one big question comes, “why abandon the west“? There is no doubt about the concerns of the west regarding the undemocratic practices and human right abuses in most African Nations. There is also no doubt that the African leaders are fleeing the west to china, to escape the enormous pressure from the west to end the undemocratic practices, Human rights abuses and the rampant corruption which have seen many Africans languish in poverty and hence facing pre-mature death. With the Chinas records of human rights abuses and political murders, there is no doubt the African corrupt leaders have found a safe haven and a sanctuary in China, where they can hide their atrocities and crimes. When the Britons started to visit Kenya, for example, they were welcomed and embraced by the Kenyan people. Kenyans did not know whatsoever that the Britons would ever colonize them. The suspicious trend of the Chinese immigration to Africa, worries the Human Rights fraternity which is already perplexed by the human rights abuses in china today.
Also scaring is the possibly that all the achievements in Africa in terms of democracy and human rights respect may be reversed by China’s undemocratic policies. The latest scenario in which china invited President Bashir of Sudan and gave him a wonderful reception despite the indictment by the ICC, is a sign of negative things to come. This alone will promote and encourage human rights abuses in Africa, and will also encourage the African leaders brutality and corruption. For many years the west continued to give Africa a lot of assistance. The west has also been inviting and hence hosting millions of Africans, who have in return been sustaining the economies of their home countries. The Chinese who are being exported to Africa from China, have been sending back to china millions of dollars from Africa, most of which is the loan given out to African Nations by China. The African people have continued to enjoy the green card program from the West. The green card program has not been a right for the African people but a privilege. If Africans are denied this privilege today, there will be a very great effect on the African economy and hence a higher increase of unemployment.

There are three possible reasons why African leaders are fleeing to china from the West;
1] To continue to enjoy looting public finds with impurity.
2] To continue abusing human rights with impunity
3] To continue to use the rule of the jungle to dictate what they feel is good for themselves and to oppress and intimidate their nationals without any challenges.

The main differences between the provision of Loans by the West and those by China are;
A] Loans from the West are tied to Transparency and Accountability, Democratic Governance, Human Rights respect, rule of Law and Anti-Corruption. Some Nations in the West have been inviting Africans to live and work there every year.
B] China does not in any way relate their Loans or any form of assistances to Democratic Governance, Human Rights respect, Transparency and Accountability or Anti-Corruption, neither are Africans invited to China, but instead Chinese Nationals are exported to Africa in great numbers to work and live there. There are thousands of Chinese living and working in Africa today.

It is therefore inappropriate for the common Africans to embrace and support the political marriage between their leaders and china and at the same time run to the west to seek help to stop corruption and human rights’ abuses in their Nations. Therefore, the possibility that in 20 years time from now, Africans will be in acute problems than in any other time in the history of the continent, if nothing is done to stop the influx of the Chinese nationals into the Africa Continent, cannot be ruled out. Years ago, Africans did one great mistake which led to colonization of their Nations by foreigners. Will they repeat the same mistake this century?

Isaac Newton Kinity
Former Secretary General
Kenya Civil Servants Union and Chairman
Kikimo Foundation for Corruption and Poverty Eradication inc.