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Branding Kenya: Bottom up Approach will work..
6th November, 2006

There have been recent efforts to make Kenyans appreciate their country and themselves as a means of branding the country. But, it seems that Alfred Mutua’s “Najivunia kuwa Mkenya (I am proud to be Kenyan)” slogan is not going places.  I do agree however that branding Kenya is the only way that the country can sell itself and its products to the rest of the world.  Perhaps we can borrow a leaf from past experiences in the country.

When I was growing up in the rural areas, the most common means of transport to the local town was by Land Rovers, now commonly used as breakdowns in Nairobi. They were the only ones which could cruise through the earth roads, particularly during the rainy season. One striking thing that has stuck in my memory ever since was a label on the Land Rovers which read “buy Kenya build Kenya.” That time, I was young enough not to understand exactly what that meant safe for  the fact that Land Rovers were supplied from a dealer based somewhere in Thika, namely Leyland.  I am not sure whether the land rovers were made in Kenya, but I find that message to have been ideal then and even now.
Meanwhile, as I continued maturing, I encountered and became part of this craze of Kenyans buying everything imported.  It did not matter whether it was cars, electronics, food, fruits, drinks, eggs and worst of all some category of secondhand cloths called undergarments which I hear have now been banned. Importation became a culture.  Anybody not hooked to it seemed backward.  A sad scenario is illustrated by one person who in the 1980s visited London and while shopping, found an admirable suit which he could not avoid buying.

Upon coming home, the gentleman boasted to his friends how he had bought a nice woolen suit, during his trip. Further checking however revealed that, it was a raymond suit manufactured in Eldoret, Kenya for export to Europe.  The gentleman could neither believe it nor forgive himself for a long while.  Kenyans had gone that far in despising their own products. No wonder, many locally manufacturing concerns have succumbed for lack of local support, particularly in the textile industry. But, I can now see a ray of hope though only if, the bottom up approach is applied to branding Kenya.
Perhaps we can benchmark from a recent function I witnessed in Murang’a town. It was a trade exhibition for business people in the town.  The business community has formed itself into Muranga Industrial and Commercial Business Forum.  The main objective of the association is to promote business in Muranga through sensitizing people on need to modernize business activities and processes in Muranga town and its environs.  Another objective is to promote innovation and nurture it for the best interests of the business sector in Muranga.The forum works very closely with Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muranga Branch.  This was the second annual showcase held very successfully in the town under the sponsorship of Equity Bank, Muranga branch. Celtel Muranga, also gave a helping hand.  I heard that the last time Muranga had anything close to the last two trade fairs was an agricultural show way back in 1985.  My role,  as detailed by the business forum was to sensitize people about what is going on in the world and national front regarding  SMES, the Youth Fund and the need for business training, so that people can acquire renewed skills of doing business more so given the dynamic changes occurring in the business world.
In my considered view, Muranga Business sector is on course. The business Forum is likely to contribute substantially in developing small businesses into major entities if the current approach is sustained.  Small businesses are the multinationals of tomorrow, I belief.“Buy Muranga, Build Muranga” is indeed the brand.  There is no need to invest or travel to Thika or Nairobi for routine business and investment needs.  Through the trade fair Muranga people now know where to get what, when and how.  Besides, information is complete with a fortnightly periodical which captures every newsworthy item that occurs even in the remotest part of the district.  This example is an indicator of how branding Kenya can be effected.

National efforts should be preceded by Branding Muranga, Branding Nyeri, Branding Kakamega, Branding Kisumu, Branding Machakos and so on.  In the end branding Kenya and its products will be an easier sell. Every Kenyan will have been involved and therefore owned the efforts. It is the only way we will appreciate our own products and country. The excess products from each region will be exported to different regions. Continued production will lead to external exports which will end up benefiting the entire country.  We will finally become an export oriented country like Singapore and other Asian tigers. Those countries incidentally have long benefited from dumping cheap products into our dear country. The Ministry of Trade and Industry and The Kenya Bureau of standards must stand up and be counted. They should protect Kenya from dumping of cheap imports.  They should at the same time promote production of high standard commodities in line with acceptable International Standards. This, I belief will be an important role for them in branding Kenya.
Are you there and wish to start branding Kenya from bottom?  It only involves putting the right strategies or plans of action in place.  Strategy is necessary for faster achievement of the desired results in every project or activity. Strategic approaches facilitate optimum usage of available resources, time included. They will ensure that the desired project or activity is not stillborn. Alfred Mutua, are you still there?

Newtimes Editor

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