This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
Published on August 8, 2019, Saboti MP Caleb Hamisi has proposed the creation of a diaspora Member of Parliament position to represent the interests of Kenyans living and working abroad.
Hamisi's proposal, presented to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) task force, aims to address key issues affecting Kenyans abroad, including visas, consular services, forced labor, and kidnapping.
He wants Parliament to enact legislation to determine the eligibility of persons vying to represent the estimated three million Kenyans living in the diaspora.
Hamisi's proposal is modeled after countries such as France, Iraq, Algeria, Cape Verde, South Africa, and Mozambique, which have diaspora MPs.
For instance, as of 2015, France had 12 out of 300 MPs representing its diaspora population, while Iraq had 10 out of 300 MPs.
Other countries, including India, Nigeria, Georgia, Togo, and Senegal, have a diaspora ministry separate from the foreign affairs ministry.
Hamisi will verbally present his proposal at a BBI taskforce forum at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on Thursday.
