Belgians are joining the protests against a costly armaments plant in Kenya, reports Greg Barrow from Nairobi
THE citizens of Eldoret, a small town at the top of the Rift Valley, cannot believe their luck. Eldoret, once known only for its mushroom farming and world- class middle-distance athletes, has become Kenya’s main beneficiary of government development money and industrial growth schemes.
The sleepy town of just over 100 000 residents already prides itself on having one of the best hospitals in Kenya, a university, a military barracks and a branch of the central bank.
By December, Eldoret will also be home to Kenya’s third international airport — and an armaments factory capable of producing 20-million bullets a year.
Why has Eldoret received so much government aid? Some Kenyans say the answer is simple. The town is situated deep in the heart of Kalenjin country, the tribal homeland of Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi.
Debating societies in Moi University, on the outskirts of Eldoret, have shied away from discussing the government’s generosity to their hometown. But in the Nairobi parliament the issue has become a hot topic.
Opposition parties which balked at the international airport are fuming about the armaments factory. It is estimated to cost somewhere between 6-million and 170-million, but the government has shrouded it in a veil of secrecy and refuses to discuss the financing arrangements.
Under normal circumstances, a cross-party defence committee should have examined the project, but it too has been kept in the dark.
Moi says there is nothing sinister about the bullet factory, and claims it is a government project funded from the military budget. The subject has, however, raised concern in Belgium, home to the armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale Herstal, which is helping to build the Eldoret factory and supplying much of the machinery.
Some Belgian MPs have questioned whether it is wise for a Belgian company to support the factory in a country with a questionable human rights record. They also point to potential arms markets in neighbouring countries such as Burundi, Somalia and Sudan — all embroiled in conflicts.
Belgian foreign minister Erik Derycke said: “It is not in accordance with current African policy, which is aimed at preventative diplomacy and conflict prevention.”
The main opposition Ford-Kenya party has sent a protest letter to the Belgian government, and is considering lobbying European Union member states over Belgian involvement.
Opposition parties in Kenya are also concerned about the role the factory will play in domestic politics. Although there is little threat of Moi’s governing party losing elections due before the end of 1997, some politicians suggest that Eldoret, with its bullet factory, military barracks and airport, would provide a defensive enclave for the government in case of trouble.
“Given the history of the last elections in 1992, when there were land clashes and tribal flare-ups in the Rift Valley, we’re very worried that there is a preparation for something,” said Otieno Kopeyo of the Ford-Kenya party. “Weapons manufactured at this new factory could be used against civilians, and that is the most pressing concern.”