Rob Macaire

High Commissioner to Kenya

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Monday 02 November, 2009

Commonwealth Conversation - Kenya

Last week we held the local edition of the global conversation on the Commonwealth that I mentioned in my last blog. Here are some notes that I took of the event;

Many people still associate the Commonwealth with Britain and believe that membership should allow free visa travel to the UK and other Commonwealth countries. There was quite a lot of awareness on specific areas of Commonwealth activity such as Commonwealth games, Scholarship programmes, media training and coordination on legal systems.

There was a feeling that the Commonwealth could do more in exerting pressure on rights issues and constitution building in Kenya. One of the audience commented that the Secretariat should be given more power to address issues to do with Member states.

An overwhelming conclusion was that more needed to be done to promote Commonwealth and raise awareness on the activities been carried out.

I urge you to look at the website of this global conversation which has thrown up some lively debate

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Comments:

Just about every commentary I have read in, or by, citizens of C'wealth Africa question the relevance of the C'wealth in contemporary issues in these countries. I beg to differ with H.E. about the level of awareness about specific areas of C'wealth activity; if anything the association, let alone its activities, is barely known to youthful Kenyans. That people still associate it with Britain is a statement of its failure to outgrow its original identity and evolve with the times. If in "reflecting on the past and considering what the future may hold" can have the outcome of a 'fresh' C'wealth; re-branded and engaging more prominently at citizen level; what can be better than that?

Posted by Mucemi Mwangi on November 03, 2009 at 09:36 PM EAT #

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