December	  24,	  2015	  Dear Fellow Kenyan,Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the KIJA Secretariat.
2015 has been a historic year for the Diaspora; marked with milestone events that haveseen the engagement of diaspora by Government reach a new level of partnership.
The launching of the Diaspora Policy and Foreign Policy in January, the hosting of thefirst Diaspora Conference in April, and the launch of the Diaspora CommunicationStrategy at the just concluded Diaspora Homecoming Reception, demonstrates thecommitment by the government to ensure Diaspora become their new developmentpartners. We laud the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade for theunwavering support in ensuring that this engagement process is sought with diligence.
For us Kenyans in Japan, the year has been phenomenal. Working in collaboration withour embassy in Tokyo, we have set a special precedence of how the government canpartner with the Diaspora to link our countries of residence with Kenya and to advanceour country’s global agenda. The visiting of the H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta in March provideda rare opportunity to showcase what Kenyans in Japan stand for when it comes to ourplace in national development. We continue to stand by our motto of “not what thegovernment can do for us, but what we, Kenyans in Japan, can do in support of ourmotherlands development”.
The August Kenya-Japan Business seminar held in Nairobi as well as a roundtable andluncheon hosted by H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta showed the importance that Kenya and Japan isplacing on each other to support development. It also shows the importance of Kenya inJapan’s agenda in the global arena. This culminated with the selection of Kenya as thefirst country outside Japan to host the 6th Tokyo International Conference on AfricanDevelopment (TICAD VI), scheduled to take place in August/September of 2016. Allthese developments have come with critical roles that the Kenyans in Japan must play toput our country to the best level possible.This year, we have had several Diaspora activities, key of which included, KIJA-OITA,KIJA-NAGASAKI, KIJA-NAGOYA, KIJA-KANTO progress meetings all of whichwere graced by H.E. Ambassador S.K. Maina. This was followed by the Kenya DiasporaInvestment Conference, which took place in October bringing together Kenyan andJapan’s government and the corporate sector major players. Following this were the endof year parties held in different regions which provided opportunities for catching up andnetworking, and for which your contributions made them worthy remembering.
I would like to thank you for the your efforts in sustaining the momentum all through2015. Your inputs into the successes of KIJA have been crucial in make KIJA the bestKenyans Abroad association globally.
I would also like to convey our special gratitude to H.E., Ambassador S.K. Maina and theentire embassy Team for putting Diaspora at heart, and for providing unwavering supportto KIJA. This year, the embassy’s support has been critically important in putting uswhere we are today, and we are grateful for the time we have spend together discussinghow to shape KIJA to have more impact in national developmentKIJA has made incredible strides due to the commitment and ambition of you. The yearahead shows great promise, and the work done this year has laid a firm structuralfoundation that allows us to continue to deliver with the efficiency that is needed tosupport our government achieve its mission on diaspora engagement. 2016 holds agreater promise, and more work for us, especially in preparations for TICAD VI and wecall for your continued support.
As we planned ahead, we wish you and your family and friends a prosperous 2016!	
  Your	  Sincerely,	  	  	  	  Emmanuel	  Mutisya	  	  Chairman,	  Kenyans	  in	  Japan	  Association