This was the first formal investment forum organized in Köln, many of the earlier events have been incorporated in other events of just termed as get togethers. One such event was the recent meeting with the Commercial Attaché during his last visit to Köln. This meeting stood out especially because not all attendees were in Köln physically, with many joining in via Skype. Below is a summary of some of the topics discussed:
Kenyans with German citizenship and/or their children planning to invest in Kenya
The question was raised by some of the attendants who wish to invest in Kenya but are worried they might be considered foreigners due to their acquired citizenships. According to the Kenyan Constitution Chapter 3,
§14. A person is a citizen by birth if on the day of the person’s birth, whether or not the person is born in Kenya, either the mother or father of the person is a citizen.
§16. A citizen by birth does not lose citizenship by acquiring the citizenship of another country
Based on these laws, Once a Kenyan always a Kenyan.
For those planning to invest or do business in Kenya, you are to be considered Kenyan. With this new law, if you have dual citizenship then when in Kenya you are Kenyan while when in Germany you are German. You can download the Constitution here.
Provision of Information by the embassy for potent investors
Unfortunately, there was no promise for improvement on this part. Some attendees pointed out that Kenyan Embassies in other countries made information available for potential investors, but the embassy in Berlin was adamant that they prefer investors finding the info themselves. Seems the Kenyan Embassy is still analog.
Returning professionals
For the Kenyan professionals interested in going back home and work in government, you can check the Public Service Commission jobs portal.
Investment idea
For those looking into an investment idea, there was an idea floated on investing in the coffee industry. For those interested, you can get in touch with Muthoni from Chania Coffee.
The organizing team looks forward to many more such events and encourage more Kenyans and friends of Kenya to attend and take part.