.jpg)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
By:
HARRISON MAINA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted:
Dec,28-2016 16:06:14
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DAMASCUS, MD__The promised Diaspora policy to have Kenyans in North America wishing to relocate back home import second hand, right hand drive cars duty free from any country of the world is now ready and active, the Kenyan Ambassador to the US told over 1000 Kenyans gathered at the Damascus Recreational Center in Damascus, Maryland Saturday during the 53rd Jamhuri Day celebrations held one week after the official 12 December day due to work schedules for the majority of Diaspora based nationals.
At the same time, Ambassador Robinson Githae said that he was pleased to work with the State Department in the Obama administration to expand the amount of time Kenyan students got for visas when coming to study in the USA from the previous 2 years to now 5 year Visas.
"I engaged the State Department and they agreed to increase the period from 2 year to 5 years. The promise that President Uhuru gave to the Diaspora last year for second hand importation of cars duty free is also ready. All you have to do now is show us proof of purchase of the car and proof of a sale agreement which can then be used to process the waiver of duty in Kenya when you import a second hand car. But you have to be moving back to Kenya permanently to take advantage of this," Githae said during the event also attended by former US Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Rannenberger among other dignitaries.
Githae added the Government of Kenya has also worked very hard to satisfy stringent airport security conditions set by the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) required for the upgrade of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to category A, which would allow the National carrier o fly direct to the US.
"We have done everything required by FAA. Now we are just waiting for clearance and the go ahead to start the direct flights," he told Kenyans and guests to loud applause. "This will enable us to import our flowers direct to this market instead of going through Europe where they are auctioned off. We will also be able to send ore visitors to Kenya as the cost will become significantly lower than it is now. There are a lot of benefits here as the trade between the two countries will increase," he added. Indicating that the Embassy wants to see all Kenyans in the Diaspora succeed at what they are doing, Githae however urged Kenyans to obey the laws of the United States to avoid any unnecessary crashed with the law. He advised that although the majority of Kenyans in the USA are documented, there are a few whose documents have since expired and should therefore avoid engaging in any unlawful activities that might draw unwanted attention to themselves. "There is no Kenyan who came to America illegally. There is no way a Kenyan can come here illegally. In fact, Kenyans have to cross two oceans to get here," stressed the envoy. Githae thanked the former US Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Rannenberger for attending the Jamhuri day celebrations, the envoy urged Kenyans in the Diaspora to respect their culture and the culture of their host countries so as to get along well with natives in the communities they live in. "Even the Ambassador here had to pay some cows and goats to comply with the Maasai culture in order for him to be allowed to get the love of his wife. You have to respect the culture and laws of the country you live in," he said while thanking Rennemberger's wife, Elizabeth Rannenberger who was also present at the event for brining the renowned ambassador closer to home.
He also said that the Government of Kenya was doing everything it can to enable Kenyans in the Diaspora take part in next year's General elections in the motherland as a way to thank them for the massive amounts of remittances they send back home that played a huge role supporting the economy. "There is no other way to thank you for your contribution other than to allow you to vote. It's the least the Government can do for the Diaspora." He said that the IEBC was already making preparations to kick start voter registration in the Diaspora in the next few months. However, during a post event interview with Ajabu Africa News seeking clarification on whether Diaspora voter registration centers would be located closer to the cities where majority of Kenyans resided to avoid making long trips just to cast a vote, the ambassador said that the embassy has no control on the activities of the IEBC and would only await guidelines and instructions when the preparations are ready. Githae sought to reassure Kenyans in the Diaspora that the security of their personal information that they will provide to the IEBC would be secure and no one in the Diaspora should worry about leakage or misuse of their information. He pledged the embassy's continued efforts to issue new ID cards to Kenyans as will as the new 10 year passport after the discontinuation of the older 5 year one.
During the colorful event, several Kenyan Diaspora performers entertained the large crowd. Among them included Kanja King, a popular musician from the Washington DMV area as well as several children dance performers. The event also saw over 20 Kenyans receive recognition awards for their selfless service to the Kenyan community in USA as well as assisting the embassy with some tasks when ever called upon. The recognition awards spanned across various categories including service providers, embassy staff, entertainers, community leaders, digital media, where Ajabu Media was among other award recipients. "This is just the first time we are giving out recognition awards to some of you who have assisted community and the embassy whenever called upon. They are primarily from this area but we also have a few from other states far away. As from next year, we are planning to give awards that cover the entire USA and have people vote their nominees to received awards," Ambassador Githae told guests. The event was coordinated by Freddy Muroki from the local Washington Maryland Kenyan community (DMV area) as the masters of ceremonies with a staff member from the Kenya Embassy helping in the award giving ceremony. Guests to the colorful and highly entertaining celebration were treated to a sumptuous Kenyan traditional cuisine and a wide variety of drinks served by the fast growing Swahili Village restaurant located in the Beltsville area of Maryland. "Kenya is my second home and this event makes me feel like I am home. The Embassy has done a tremendous job putting this event together," said Michael Rannenberger, the former US Ambassador who also revealed that he splits his time between his US home in Tampa Bay Florida and Kenya during an interview with Ajabu Media. "We were very happy to have been chosen to serve Kenyans with food here tonight.This was a great honor for us and we fell very lucky. We were pleased to serve our own Kenyans and we also appreciated the recognition award given to us," said Kevin Onchana, founder and CEO of Swahili Village.
Other Kenyans who attended the event expressed joy and satisfaction with the organizers who they praised for doing a great job. "This was a fantastic Jamhuri day. This is what we expect and I am looking forward to the one next year," said Mohammed Warsame, a Kenyan of Somali origin who had traveled all the way from Minneapolis, Minnesota with a friend. "I liked it. Everything seemed well organized and in place. It was very inspiring," said Silvia Mumbua from Washington DC. The event that had started around 4pm amid bad weather that hit the Maryland area on Saturday ended around midnight, with many Kenyans shifting to the Swahili Village for an after party till 3am, the official closing time for entertainment joints in Maryland.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source:
AJABU AFRICA NEWS
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
RSS