VP in China to lobby for Unep office upgrade

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Photo|FILE United Nations Environmental Programme (Unep) headquarters at Gigiri, Nairobi.  

By VPPS
Posted  Saturday, May 26  2012 at  21:54

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka has left for China on a three-nation diplomatic charm offensive to seek international support for Kenya’s bid to have the United Nations Environmental Programme (Unep) offices in Nairobi upgraded.

The Vice-President is carrying three letters from President Kibaki and has already delivered the first to the Obama Administration in Washington. The other two will be delivered to the Chinese and Indian governments.

In China, Mr Musyoka is expected to meet top government officials including Chinese Vice-President and senior Communist Party officials and the President of Exim Bank of China which finances key projects in Kenya.

The Kibaki Administration wants the status of Unep in Nairobi upgraded from “programme” to “headquarters” status, an agenda which will come up next month at the Rio +20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil.

VP Musyoka was also in the USA for talks with the recently appointed World Bank Vice-President for Africa, Mokhtar Diop in Washington.

While in the US, the VP sought to popularise the Kenya Kwanza initiative among Kenyans living there.

The initiative was recently launched by the National Integration and Cohesion Commission to promote patriotism and cohesion among Kenyans particularly as the General Election approaches.

The Kenyan diaspora has become crucial and has attracted repeated visits by presidential candidates since they are expected to vote in the next polls.

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VP Musyoka toured five states – Texas, Boston, Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta – where he met and engaged with Kenyans.

He stressed the importance of the three million votes that Kenyans living abroad are likely to cast. 

VP Musyoka also pitched for his presidential candidature and said he was running to fight poverty and unite the nation.

In Boston, the VP told Kenyans living there that the role they played through remittances back home was about to be repaid with a more direct role in the administration of the nation.

“You work hard to remit billions of shillings home. It is important now that the next Government, which I hope to lead, will tap your ideas, creativity and innovation to propel the country forward,” he said.