US PRESIDENT Barack Obama’s visit to Kenya was viewed as a special homecoming by millions of Kenyans who hold intrinsic and emotional ties to him as a personality. While many Kenyans understand that Obama is in fact the president of the US, and American not Kenyan, his Kenyan cultural ties as his father’s son have millions in the nation claiming him as one of their own.
What I found of interest was his address that on several occasions highlighted his roots and ties to the country and his use of this as a backdrop to reflect on the state of the nation as well as his thoughts on opportunities for the future. The intergenerational weaving of Kenya’s social, economic and political challenges and opportunities, as well as an analysis on the progress in 50 years of nationhood, was something that he was able to discuss in simple language and approachable prose.
Kenya’s challenges are rather self-evident and revolve around tribalism and negative ethnicity, grand-scale corruption, impunity, lack of critical infrastructure and questionable policy on human rights, which result in widespread economic and social inequality. The opportunities available and relative progress made thus far are usually not the highlight of mainstream coverage and discussion.
Imagining the possibilities for the future through an African feminist lens is even less so, and it was notable that Obama challenged the audience and the state to consider policy that was not only progressive within current cultural perspectives, but which considered economic, social and political progress for women and the LGBTQ community.
Over and above a focus on bringing women and girls into the workforce, supporting their entrepreneurial measures and ensuring that they are educated, without a doubt Kenya needs an economic analysis that takes gender inequalities into account and that adjusts some of the basic assumptions of classical economics. According to Social Watch Organisation, growth equals economic development and gross domestic product (GDP) is the most used indicator to measure the "wealth" generated.
However, feminist economics has shown over more than half of all human work is unpaid and is therefore not recorded in GDP. In classical economics, activities that are essential for the existence of the family and community are ignored as they take place outside markets. These include maintaining a household, voluntary work, child rearing, caring for the elderly and a large part of food production and crop maintenance. As these activities are carried out in the context of the family, without any exchange of money, they are considered "noneconomic activities", not only in the economics textbooks but also in the United Nations System of National Accounts (the indexes of gross national product and GDP). Therefore, it is necessary to redefine macroeconomics and recognise that the monetary economy is just the tip of the iceberg that rests on an extensive care economy in which the main work force is female, and that women account for at least half the total workforce.
A key component of Kenya’s progress has been human capital, ranking top in terms of adult literacy rates. The adult literacy rate in Kenya is 87%, followed by Uganda at 73.2%, Tanzania at 72.9%, Rwanda at 70.7% and Burundi at 66.6%. In comparison to other East African countries, meanwhile, Kenya has the highest public expenditure in education at 17.7% in 2008-09 and 2011-12, compared to Uganda, which spends an average of 10%. Education plays a major role in increasing productivity and economic growth and reducing poverty and inequality. The Global Competitiveness Index 2013-14 ranks Kenya 44th in quality of education out of 148 countries. By comparison, Rwanda ranks 51st, Uganda 82nd, Tanzania 100th and Burundi 143rd.
This essential development pillar is one that must be continuously nurtured if Kenya’s development targets are to be met. Leaving behind capable people full of potential because of social and cultural prejudice from contributing to the country’s progress would be an approach that is short-sighted and unlikely to return optimum results.
Therefore, imagining Kenya’s future and progress against a feminist and generational lens, as Obama did, is an important contribution that the state and the public should begin to take more seriously both in policy and practice.
• Maingi is a Nairobi-based brand management and strategy expert.
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