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Exporting a Nation: Why Kenya's Best and Brightest Are Leaving

For generations, migration was seen as a personal choice. Some left for adventure, others for education, and a few in pursuit of better opportunities abroad. Today, something more profound is happening in Kenya. Leaving has become an aspiration. Ask university students what they want after graduation. Ask young doctors completing their internships. Ask software developers, engineers, lecturers and accountants. Increasingly, the answer is remarkably similar: they want out. The dream is no longer to build a life in Kenya. The dream is to escape it. That should trouble us far more than it does. Because when a country reaches a point where its most educated and ambitious citizens increasingly see their futures elsewhere, it is not merely experiencing migration. It is exporting itself. The Great Kenyan Checkout There is nothing unusual about human mobility. People have moved in search of opportunity for centuries. What is unusual is the scale and normalisation of departure. Today, stories o...
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Ruto's Wild Goose Chase: The Hollywood Odyssey That Isn't Hollywood-ing


In a whirlwind of comedy and confusion, Kenya's President William Ruto embarked on what was supposed to be a triumphant tour of America, aiming to boost Kenya's standing in Hollywood and sell it as a prime filming destination. However, what is ensuing is a series of misadventures that has left Kenyans scratching their heads and chuckling at the absurdity of it all.

Ruto's grand plans began with a promise of rubbing shoulders with Hollywood elite at Tyler Perry Studios. Yet, much to everyone's surprise, Perry himself was nowhere to be found. Instead, the Rutos (wife, children, kila kitu...presumably the family dog too) were greeted by none other than the affable TV host Steve Harvey, who, in a bizarre twist, announced Perry's absence, citing a mysterious journey "out of town."

This unexpected encounter with Harvey, coupled with Ruto's previous gaffe of claiming a partnership with the Grammy Awards (which, for the record, have no ties to Hollywood), set the stage for a comedy of errors that would rival any film starring Medea. January, as the saying goes, came and went silently like a ship in the night.

Adding insult to injury, Harvey casually mentioned his upcoming vacation plans to visit Kenya in September, conveniently sandwiched between shooting episodes of Family Feud in South Africa. Kenyans can't help but wonder: Did Ruto's highly publicised tour of America inadvertently become a promotional campaign for Harvey's holiday itinerary?

Meanwhile, Ruto's ambitious promises of Hollywood relocating en masse to Nairobi seem more like wishful thinking than a concrete plan as his grand scheme peters out. (Perhaps its time to slot in, slideways if I must, that hope is not a plan.) Despite his assurances, the Innovation Studios of Hollywood remain elusive, opting instead to set up shop in South Africa, much to the chagrin of Kenyans who had been eagerly awaiting the influnx of Tinseltown talent.

As the dust settles on Ruto's Hollywood odyssey, Kenyans are left with more questions than answers. Was this a case of misplaced priorities, or simply a comedy of errors? Regardless, one thing remains clear: Ruto's foray into Hollywood has been more farcical than fabulous, and people are wondering if the real entertainment is happening on screen or right before their eyes.

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