Political wrangles cost Kenya bid to host Forum

It has emerged that Kenya’s heated political wrangles may have cost it the opportunity to host the Africa chapter of the landmark World Economic Forum in May next year — an opportunity Tanzania duly seized.

A team of WEF technocrats that travelled to Nairobi two weeks ago, specifically to explain to Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s office why the Kenyatta International Conference Centre lost the bid said its facilities were inferior to those of Dar es Salaam’s Mlimani City Conference Centre.

But government sources told The EastAfrican that the clincher may have been due to lack of crucial political support in the form of a Cabinet paper that was never drafted.

On September 18, WEF announced that Tanzania will host the 2010 World Economic Forum on Africa — a first for East Africa.

On the occasion, President Jakaya M. Kikwete of Tanzania said: “It is heartening to see the positive impact that the World Economic Forum has on key issues of global concern. This unique gathering convenes a very diverse group of friends of the continent who are united in their optimism of what Africa can, must and will achieve.”

Kenya was initially optimistic and its application to host the important conference, which would bring into the country more than 700 top world leaders, was prepared by Prime Minister, Raila Odinga’s office.

Kenya appears to have protested the choice of Tanzania, given that a delegation from Geneva arrived in the country on December 3 to explain to the government “face to face” how and why Kenya lost the bid.

The assessment of the facilities at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi was conducted by a team of experts from Geneva, who, insiders said, were happy with the venue. Kenya at the same time scored highly in security and investment.

The high score raised hopes that Nairobi would clinch the conference.

The assessment was conducted in May and a decision was to be communicated in September.

Then, on June 9, reports appeared in the media, sourced from the Prime Minister’s Press Service, that Kenya’s bid to host the Forum had been successful.

One report, which quoted Kenya’s High Commissioner to South Africa Tom Amolo, noted that the Forum’s organisers had approved conference facilities available in the country.

Then it all fell apart.

The Cabinet paper to enter the bid was never drafted, but sources in the government say this was never done because the timing coincided with the debate on whether suspected masterminds and perpetrators of post-election violence should be tried locally or at the International Criminal Court of Justice.