A Kenyan lecturer in China has asked President William Ruto to push for Kenya to be designated an English-speaking country to open the doors of the Asian giant to more Kenyans.
Brian Karani, a history lecturer at an international high school in China, appealed to the president to make the move to facilitate the path for more Kenyans, especially teachers, to work in China. He argued that such a designation would open the door for China to allow more Kenyans to get work visas.
Karani further urged President Ruto to engage Chinese President Xi Jinping to grant Kenya the opportunity to supply teachers to schools in China.
Additionally, Karani revealed that Kenyans have long faced challenges in securing English teaching jobs in China due to legal hurdles in acquiring work permits.
"The biggest job here in China is teaching English. Kenyans speak perfect English. Kenyans can teach English in this country — not just one or two, but in droves, hundreds of thousands. Just last year, we had Ksh672 billion in remittances from Kenyans in the diaspora," Karani noted.
"Once Kenya is designated as an English-speaking country in your bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping, it opens doors. That designation leads to the ability to get work permits in China. And once we get those permits, many teachers — and even non-teachers — in Kenya can come and work here. You don't even need to be a professional teacher to qualify."
Furthermore, Karani pointed out that Kenya has made great strides in China by establishing a dedicated diaspora department, which has enabled more Kenyans to access opportunities in the country.
Comparing Kenya to South Africa, Karani noted that Kenya stood a better chance of providing quality English instruction, despite South Africans currently enjoying more teaching opportunities.
"Mr President, you are the first to give us a dedicated diaspora department. We have waited a very long time — from the Kibaki administration to the Ruto administration — and when you came into power, President, thank you very much, you gave us that department.
"Now to the issue at hand: we would like Kenya to be officially designated as an English-speaking country. This is very important. Even South Africa, with all due respect, does not speak English as well as we do."
President Ruto, in his response, assured the diaspora community that the government was fully aware of the push to have Kenya designated as an English-speaking nation. He further disclosed that Kenya was engaged in bilateral discussions with China aimed at unlocking more job opportunities for Kenyans in the Asian nation.
"I am very proud of the Kenyans who have taken up global opportunities. That is precisely why I established the State Department for Diaspora Affairs. It’s a priority on my radar, and our CSs and PS for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, including Roseline Njogu, are fully engaged on this matter," Ruto affirmed.
"We have already signed several bilateral labour agreements that provide the exact framework you're referring to, and we intend to pursue a similar agreement for Kenya to be officially designated as an English-speaking country. In any case, Kenyans speak the best English in Africa — and that’s a fact. You’ve given me an assignment, and I intend to report back soon."
