One Thing Robert Mugabe Loves About Kenya

The President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, made a number of official visits to Kenya after rising to power in 1980.

At the time, his official title was Prime Minister and he engaged former President Daniel Arap Moi on various ways to improve ties between Kenya and Zimbabwe.

During one of the visits, he admitted that he was impressed by how the country had handled land distribution following the exit of colonialists.

At a luncheon hosted by President Moi, Mugabe stated: “Zimbabwe was closely studying Kenya’s successful land distribution process in a bid to follow the example.”

In Kenya, the land distribution remains a thorny issue as large chunks of land were allocated to the ruling elite at the expense of regular citizens who lost their ancestral land.

[caption caption="Robert Mugabe with among others former President Mwai Kibaki"][/caption]

Later, in Zimbabwe, President Mugabe ordered the seizure of large farms belonging to over 4,000 white settlers in 2000.

Most of the farms belonged to large-scale tobacco farmers.

Tobacco was at the time one of Zimbabwe's biggest exports but the industry took a major hit after the land seizures.

The economy went into a freefall with unbelievable hyperinflation witnessed between 2000 and 2008.

Zimbabwe also picked something up from Kenya. As the country tried to build a media industry, aspiring journalists were sent to study at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communications.

[caption caption="Robert Mugabe addressing the UN General Assembly"][/caption]