Kenya
Also UN to invest in Kenya

afrol News, 3 February - Only one month after stepping into power, the government of President Mwai Kibaki has managed to turn the financial tides back to Kenya. A Kenyan government prepared for the future now also is being notified that the UN is to extend its presence in the country and invest US$ 13 million in construction works.

The expansion to UN headquarters in Africa "signals support for Kenya," according to a release by the UN offices in Nairobi (UNON). The large investment in construction works is expected to provide a further boost to the Kenyan economy, according to the head of UNON.

UNON principally hosts the UN environmental agency UNEP, in addition to the Africa offices of the UN's children fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and numerous other UN agencies. 

- We are the only UN headquarters in a developing country, UNON Director-General Klaus Toepfer said at the groundbreaking ceremony today. "It also underlines the importance to the UN family of this continent, this location and the confidence we have in Kenya as a stable and democratic country." The UNON leader probably would not have made this statement before Kenya's December elections. 

Quickly after assuming power, President Kibaki started to implement the promises he had done during election campaigns, in particular regarding the fight against poverty and against corruption. Free elementary school was introduced immediately and there were initialised projects to strengthen legislation against corruption. 

The energetic actions of the new government have been praised within Kenya and abroad, after years of stagnation during the rule of ex-President Daniel arap Moi. 

Already in the first half of January, UNICEF announced it would make US$ 2.5 million available to assist the financing of the school reform. 1.5 million pupils that had previously dropped out of school due to the fees suddenly wanted to enrol, and UNICEF now is supporting government efforts to supply school materials and extra teachers. 

At the same time, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pronounced its support to the anti-corruption projects embarked on by the government. IMF pulled out of Kenya in 2001 due to the widespread corruption and government's failure to address it. With the IMF, very much of international finance also pulled out of the country. On 18 January, however, an IMF delegation announced it expected an "early re-engagement" in Kenya.

The new investments in the Nairobi UN headquarters therefore are announced as an extra support to President Kibaki from the international society. The UN complex is worth its weight in gold for Kenyans. The total value of the UN to Kenya, including salaries to local staff, revenues from services such as telecommunications, letters and payments to local firms is estimated at US$ 350 million annually, according to the latest available figures. This will now increase.

Sources: Based on UNON and afrol archives

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