Sometimes it takes foreign recognition to realise that, despite the challenges, the country is making some progress. There are two good examples of things Kenyans might not have noticed but which have been appreciated beyond our borders.
One is the visit by a group of Ugandan MPs, who spent three weeks in Kitui County, attracted to an initiative that has had a big impact on the lives of the local people. The Ugandans came to learn how Kitui’s health insurance programme works so that they can establish a similar scheme in their country. Of course, as they stated, they know about Kenya’s National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), but chose to learn from the Kitui version, which ensures that the people have quality and affordable healthcare.
The other example is the choice by an American online company of Malindi Town in Kilifi County, as one of the 20 best tourism destinations to visit next year. Airbnb is influential in tourism marketing and promotion. By picking Malindi as the only great African resort, this is bound to attract Americans and other international visitors and boost coastal tourism.
Such external recognition is a source of inspiration and also a challenge to do even better and ensure that the standards are not just sustained, but actually improved. The subtle message here is that the parameters that drew the plaudits will be keenly reviewed next time to see whether there has been an improvement or decline in performance.
In Kitui’s case, this should intensify the competition between the 47 counties to make a mark in the management of public resources and provision of services. The spotlight has briefly been shifted from Makueni, which has won praise for innovations. It is, indeed, possible to make the counties more viable by identifying and exploiting their potential for prosperity.
