An open letter to the Kenyan government about the Kenya - British EU agreements
photo: Nestlé / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
East Africa Climate Change Network & Baraza La Taifa | 25 January 2021
An open letter to the Kenyan government about the Kenya - British EU agreements
By Githinji Kamotho
An Open Letter To CS. Interior Dr. Fred Matiangi and P.S Karanja Kibicho .
*REFERENCE: KENYA - BRITISH EU: Bilateral and Multirateral Agreement*
*Dated 25th January 2021.*
Humble greetings, we hope this letter finds you in good health and joyous mood.
Kindly, we note that in the past two weeks you on behalf of Kenya Government have signed bilateral agreements with the British Government and European Union.
Today bilateral agreement being the sixth bilateral trade deal which will allow British and Kenyan companies to expand on purported trade related issues needs clarity.
We note scanty details of the signed Kenya-UK Security Compact which the essence is to deepen collaboration and coordination with the United Kingdom and enable both countries respond better to security challenges including global terrorism.
This agreement comes after British government exits the European Union protocol (Brexit) looks fishy and not well thought off.
The other bilateral agreement between Kenya and British government signed two weeks ago included clauses from the old Economic Partnership Agreements under the European Union.
Notable the two government agreed to protect products from the two countries from the eight per cent duty which will be charged once the UK fully leaves the European Union this year.
A dispatch from the UK High Commission in Kenya said the deal will have entry clauses for other East African Community member states.
The deal seems to be beneficial to the export of Kenyan products such as tea, coffee, vegetables and flowers, while the UK will have free access to import vehicles, pharmaceuticals and paper.
The UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, and formally left the bloc in January this year. It has a transition period up to December 31, 2020 during which time it has been signing new agreements to replace deals it had signed with countries under the EU bloc.
In Africa, the UK has already signed five deals mainly through economic blocs.
“The UK will always be a champion of liberal free trade that prioritises the mutual benefits of doing business with integrity,” said Mr. James Duddridge.
Dear Sir, The Kenya constitution Chapter 1.Sovereignity of the People and the Supremacy of the constitution Article 1 States all soverign power belongs to the peolle of Kenya and shall be exercised only in accordance with the constitution, we hereby demands the following:-
1. You publish previous and current signed bilateral agreements in print and electronic media, detailing the debts and trade deals previously agreed upon and currently signed.
2.You clarify and certify the British Embassy 3 Acre Land offices at upperhill area is not public land courtesy of being Kenya Railway Land.
3.The signed bilateral agreements will not in anyway interfere with minerals and natural resources within the country, that in no way will the previous colonial agreements be extended without intervention of County Government’s through the Council of Governors and Senate.
4.That the bilateral agreements will not in anyway grant multinational entities rights to own or manage our National Reserve Parks nor Game and Marine parks,Kenya Airways and National Ports.
5.That natural resources such as #LakeMagadi #lakevictoria and #ngamia 1 oil wells in Turkana region will not be among the skewed agreed bilateral agreements.
6.That the British Government has NO partisan interests in internal self governance of the Republic of Kenya through the recent Building Bridges Initiatives which began in 2019 a quest by elites to change over 75 Article of constitution which we collectively promulgated in the year 2010,given that Brexit process began in 2016,British government being a major donor to Kenya government could these processes be shrouded with this?
Article ONE of Kenya constitution .Clause 2 sub article (5) States the general rules of international law shall form part of the law of Kenya.(6)Any treaty or convention ratified by Kenya shall form part of the law of Kenya under the constitution
7. That in NO way the unregistered trademark and patent of historically traditional products from Africa will be part of the bilateral agreements. Be it in pharmaceutical and farm products.
8.That in no way does the Bilateral agreement lock out other European and Asian countries from trading with Kenya.
9.We demand the clarity on the meaning of terms such as United Kingdom,British Government, Britain and European Union.
Thank You.
Githinji Kamotho.
On behalf of.
*BARAZA LA TAIFA*
