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FALL AND RISE OF KENYANS IN ITALY
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Kenyans during one of the meetings in Rome
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Preface
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Coming from the same source, these waters from the same origin, at a certain point
along their course to their goal separated. The reasons of this separation were clear.
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During the period of separation, each of the parts looks at the other
through the corner of the eye, lots of water pass under the bridge.
Some of those crossing the bridge do not notice the melancholy and
stalemate that characterise the sharply divided streams. Others
passing over the bridge look down at the two streams and are comfortable
with them separated as they are. They leave them as such. A third type crossing
over the bridge, look down, they do not like the idea of two streams but they shy
away from any attempts of bringing the two weak streams into one strong river
flowing down decisively to its objectives. They would rather leave them
that way than enter into the complications and fatigue involved in attempting them strea.
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History remains as such until when Fr. Jack’s turn to cross over the bridge comes.
While on the bridge he looks down at the two streams, he goes back, furiously,
studies the origin of the two streams, then he comes again furiously and from
the top of the bridge he shouts to the two streams, "I have a dream!" He calls
a few to his position on top of the bridge and forms them into a commission and
tells them their unique role is that of creating a huge umbrella that would house
the two streams. As the commission sets on mission, Jack sadly and annoyingly gazes
at the two streams swinging his head from side to side. He inspects the advancement
of the works in the process. When the first section of the umbrella is done,
the lion Jack calls it a total fiasco. The umbrella is nice and colourful,
it covers the two streams perfectly well, but under it they continue flowing
down as two separate streams. The only achievement is that of not letting those
passing over the bridge notice that the streams are two under the umbrella.
The team working under Jack then throws down the umbrella and calls the two streams into play.
They travel back together to the point at which the original river became two.
The group confronts the bumps that caused separation of the waters. Up with the equipments!
a completely new trench in which the waters from the two streams would join
into strong waves flowing down to common objectives is fashioned.
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It takes the team of Fr. Jack 18 months to bring the
works into completion. The day to seal the two old fashioned streams and lead the
waters into new channel is set on the 17th January 2010.
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WAKENYA ASSOCIATION IN ITALY
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On the 17th January 2010, Kenyans from the two main associations
in Italy met at Via delle Mura Aurelia, 4 Rome. Efforts to merge the two groups,
Association of Kenyans in Italy and Association of Clergy, Religious and Laity
had been ongoing for 18 months. Fr. Jack Wainaina, the by then Chairman of the latter,
had formed a commission comprising of his own officials and officials of AKI to work
out ways and modalities of how these two groups would add up into one. The commission
had drawn up a draft constitution, discussed it among themselves and presented the same
to the members in various occasions. Views from the Members had been
synthesized and made into one final document that was presented on this date.
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HISTORY
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Some of the earliest known arrivals of Kenyans in Italy date back to 1930s.
Records have it that Cesar Gatimu (1921-1987), the would be Archbishop of Nyeri Catholic
Archdiocese came to Rome in 1939 for his priestly training and studies. He was ordained in Rome
on 17-03 1946. In the 1940s the arrival of Gatimu was followed by that of Maurice Michael
Otunga (1923-2003) the later Cardinal and Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi.
He arrived in Rome for priestly training and studies and was ordained a priest at the pontifical
college of Urbano in Rome on 3-10-1950. From then, this path which had previously been trended
exclusively by missionaries widened and took shape. While Kenya continued receiving men and women
of the Bible, Italy kept receiving Kenyans for religious training and formation. This characterized
the earliest exchanges between these two countries. In 1963, Kenya became a member state of the
United Nations Organisation which had, and continues to have some of its most important agencies
in Rome. In 1974, Kenya opened diplomatic relations with the Food Agricultural Organization FAO,
a UN agency based in Rome. Consequently a Kenyan Mission accredited to the FAO was opened in Rome.
This Kenyan diplomatic mission to was then upgraded to a full Embassy accredited to Italy in 1987.
In the meantime, an Italian research centre known as “San Marco Research Centre Project” (CRPSM)
set up an operational base in Kenya in 1964. Today the project is known as L. Broglio Space Centre
in Malindi and it comprises of a launch base on sea platforms and a ground base equipped with TT&C
(Tracking, Telemetry and Command) and Remote Sensing stations. As the Roman Catholic missionaries
went on arriving and working in Kenya, catholic students went on arriving in Rome and in other towns
mainly for religious formation and studies. On the other hand, with an Embassy in Rome, government
officials kept on arriving for mission. The Late 70s and early 80s saw an increased assimilation of
Kenyans at the UN agencies and at the Italian Institutions of Higher Learning. While many of the
students previously were religious (seminarians&/catholic priests), lay students and non Catholics
started arriving in noticeable numbers in Italy. By 1982, the Kenyan clergy in Rome had tens of
students in various universities mainly in Rome and the surrounding towns. These students would
come together once in a while for prayers and other religious practices. Eventually, they decided
to form an private Association. This way the Association of Kenyan Clergy, Religious and Laity in
Italy was formed. This was the first attempt of Kenyans to unite in Italy. This Association went on
meeting Sporadically each year until 1998 when Fr. Martin Wanyoike of Murang’a diocese took lead and
instituted monthly Eucharistic celebrations for Kenyans in Rome. Eventually, the Association begun
organizing annual trips mainly to religious destinations in Italy. Due to distances and varying
professions, Kenyans in other towns started uniting and forming other Associations that would meet
their needs. Among the once known are Association of Kenyan dancers of Lecce, (a group dedicated to
promoting Kenyan Culture in Italy through Music and dance),
Association of Kenyans in Milano and Association of Kenyans in Pesaro & Rimini.
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ABOUT AKI
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The Association of Kenyans in Italy was founded in January 2005.
A group of Kenyans in Italy, after seeing how difficult it was for their fellow
Kenyans to manage emergencies occasioned by sudden and critical illness&/death,
decided to form a welfare group that would try to collect some funds and keep it
aside for such eventualities. It would happen that when a Kenyan wanted to travel
home to attend urgent family matters especially matters of death of one of the close
family members, a person would be delegated to collect voluntary funds from willing persons.
Most of the times, money collected this way would hardly be enough to purchase the air ticket
leave alone other sudden and unforeseen expenditures that come up with such emergencies.
It was worse when a Kenyan would die in Italy. The tension between wanting to take the body
to Kenya and the funds available would be felt by all. Most of the times, Kenyans were buried
in Italy besides their own wills and against the will of their family members in Kenya.
When the group had taken shape, registered itself with the Italian authorities, some members
thirsted for more. Totally convinced that true work bears fruits in development of ones living
conditions, some members asked if they could form a group within AKI that would help them
invest at home. After consultations, a section of members formed themselves into what came
to be known as 202 Business level of AKI. These went further and registered themselves in Kenya
as "Assokeita Company Limited". They have since then been investing in housing projects in Nairobi.
The aim is to have firm economical resources that they can rely on once they go back definitely to
the sweet motherland. Members who did not join the 202 AKI Business level Identify themselves as
707 AKI Welfare level. This level is highly recommended for all the Kenyans in Italy. AKI has been
non-profit and non political. Since its foundation, AKI has always worked closely with the Kenya
Embassy-Rome and other Italian organizations with activities in Kenya.
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Presentation
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After some presentation done by the two principals of the two merging groups,
members agreed unanimously to vote for common leaders and drop the two previous associations.
The historical occasion was attended by among others H.E Ambassador Anne Nyikuli,
Kenya’s Ambassador to Italy, Deputy Head of Mission at the Kenya Embassy Rome Mr.
Paul Kalii and the First Counsellor Mr. Robert Kobia.
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The Great Merge
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The whole Eighteen months had been passed reflecting and working on
the grounds that would make Kenyans in Italy be one. Yes, one group of Kenyans.
Not a group of Kenyan teachers, Kenyan workers, Kenyan doctors, Kenyan priests etc.
The idea that Fr. jack Wainaina had when he stormed what had been safety zones for many
years for groups of Kenyans was that of having a singular Kenyan entity in Italy.
It did take him precisely 18 months to bring to conclusion his thesis and have put into
play on the 17th January 2010. Wainaina did not only strongly present and defend the idea
of a one unified Kenyan group to his Association of the Kenyan Clergy, Religious and laity
in Italy and to AKI, but he dared to bring the matter to the attention of the Kenya Embassy
in Rome where he got full support from Ambassador Nyikuli and the by then Deputy Head of Mission
Mr. Solomon K. Maina. As the issue had entered into his DNA, in an occasion organized by the
Kenya's Ambassador to France and to the Holy see, Fr. Wainaina did not want to lose the opportunity,
and he actually informed H.E. Ambassador Elkanah Odembo of his intention. This said, one wonders
why this should have had such a deep concern for Fr. Wainaina and his clique. What is that,
that made him take an initiative that so many of his predecessors had shied away from?
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Confusion
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One of the leading emotions in Fr. Jack was anger,
a strong emotion of anger that had been caused by the confusion of having two groups
of Kenyans especially in the same town. He and the leaders of the Association of Kenyans
in Italy confessed having met new Kenyans in Rome, and while they informed them of the existence
of a Kenyan group and encouraged them to register, the response at times would be,
“Oh I have already registered and given the registration fee”. If it was the AKI leaders,
the Kenyan would be speaking of having registered with the Clergy, if it was the Clergy,
the Kenyan would be speaking of having registered with AKI. A number of times,
some authorities called upon the clergy when they had really meant to speak to AKI and vice versa.
The leader of the former AKI group confessed of having been called on his mobile phone by
His Eminence John Cardinal Njue from Nairobi,
the prelate had wanted to speak to one of the Kenyan fathers preferably the leader.
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Joint work Force
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This encloses a number of issues that were scrutinized by the
“committee of experts” who drew the would be constitution for Wakenya.
The former Association of Kenyans in Italy AKI put some special emphasis on the welfare.
The members of the former Association of Clergy Religious and Laity in Italy kept away
from this welfare business. So when matters calling for welfare funds arose,
only AKI members gave their contributions, the question of Fr. Jack cut in sharply and oftenly,
“suppose all the priests, religious and seminarians were to give in their contributions
however little, how much more would we have raised?” It is one thing when a challenge is
faced by an individual, and it is completely different if a whole community joins in lifting
up the weight. Again, when there were events to be organized, the whole weight lay on just a
few individuals while participants were meant to be all the Kenyans and hundreds of other friends.
The preparation of Madaraka day festivities of the 2010 and the animation of the same confirmed to
Fr. Jack and to his commission that joint efforts were the only way forward. Both of the
organizations joined hands and shared duties as if in preparation of what they wanted to
give birth to come January 2010. On its side, AKI saw the merging as a golden chance.
When asked what would be the benefits of AKI in the merging,
the outgoing chairman of AKI spelt out the following:
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Openness to other Kenyans.
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From the beginning, AKI had always wanted
to house all the Kenyans in Italy.
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Unity and Strength.
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Existence of two entities that claimed to mind the business of Kenyans
in Italy in reality weakened Kenyans than strengthening them.
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Value of Unity.
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All Kenyans must sincerely fight any sorts of divisions.
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Breeding of Membership.
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Opening doors to as many Kenyans as possible meant having as
many talents as possible in the group.
These bred, would give super high breed membership.
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Future projects of AKI.
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AKI has intentions of running humanitarian projects at home.
Interesting the clergy in the matters of AKI should be part of the strategy.
When they go back home after their studies,
they would be very helpful and instrumental in managing affairs that they are part of in Kenya.
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Wider participation in matters of Kenyans.
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Preparations of events left less than three members of AKI dead.
Members of AKI have some ‘mysterious’ limitation in participating in preparations
and hosting of these events. Opening the doors to persons with whom we could confront
ideas and physical actualization of these events would make work easier and better.
Variety of Ideas: More people of different
backgrounds means more ideas and better Association that realizes better projects.
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Distribution of Kenyans in Italy.
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Till late 90s Kenyans in Italy were still concentrated in the main cities
namely Milano and Roma, a phenomenon that changed almost completely between the year 2000-2002.
Due to economical changes that Italy underwent with the introduction of the Euro, many Kenyans
moved from the cities and sought better paying jobs in industrial towns especially in the northern
part of Italy. Today, Kenyans are concentrated
in the towns of Northern Italy where they are able to get jobs at the production centres.
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Kenyans in Italy. Today the total number of Kenyans
in Italy is estimated at 4,500 persons.
These are:
- Ordinary Kenyans Seeking greener pastures in various parts of country.
- Kenyans studying in various universities in Italy
- Athletes and sports men and women resident in Italy
- Catholic Clergy and Religious and mainly in
Rome and a few others in other cities of Italy.
- UN staff who are assimilated in various UN agencies.
- Kenya government officials attached to the Kenya Embassy Rome
- Kenyans married to Italians and resident in Italy.
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General feeling of Italian to Kenya & Kenyans.
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Given the general calm that characterizes many Kenyans
(in comparison to other nationalities), Kenyans are generally accepted in Italy.
Many Italians (even those limited in geography) know something about Kenya.
So meeting a Kenyan makes the knowledge concrete. Italians are generally beach lovers.
For this reason, many of them have travelled to the Kenyan coast. Even at the very remote
corner of Italy, it is common to meet individuals who have been to the Kenyan cost more than once.
Kenyans do not figure in the criminal records in Italy. They are unmentioned in crime.
This makes Italians trust them in their affairs, be they domestic or commercial.
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Would you like to be part of this History?
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Join the rest and let us build ourselves
and our sweet motherland while in Italy
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