[chotadipo]

My opinion is that Kenya fails on thi because

1. Small and medium enterprises drive the economy, these have to be fostered and protected. Kenya does not have this policy or even if it exists, it is never practised.
2. There has to be cheap and easily accessible capital for ideas to be turned to viable business success, here again Kenya fails. The cost of doing business determines how fast a turn around can be realised in any business or technological endeavour
3. The leap from Jua-Kali manufacturing to high-tech manufacturing lacks in Kenya. We have universities, government research departments, private sectors and many think tanks that do not mesh at all. This disjointed approach stifles the fluidity of information flow and thereby hinders progression of ideas
4. Vision has to be there, then this vision has to be turned into a working model, constanlty being re-modelled to suit the reality on the ground. As far as I remember we have sessional papers that are decades old as the blue-print for economic development.
5. Wealth distribution plays a role. If wealth is concentrated on a few individuals or institutions, the vast majority of talent goes into disuse as talent is not allowed to come up with alternative ideas, ways of doing business or even allowed to compete. This is surely a killer as it is a fact that once you try and monoplise anything, talent scatters.
6. There has to be a trusted regulatory body (read government) committted to its people's welafare. A working government encourages business, service and technological growth. Take the case of China, though demonised elsewhere, in the eyes of its citizens, it is delivering on its promises. Excellent infrastracture would be an example.
7. Culuture of long term benefit versus short term gains need to be encouraged and rewarded. If the companies you mentioned above were confident of level playing field in the long run, they will be planning with long term growth on the back of their minds instead of taking in short term profits and closing shop.

Those are my 2 cents of ideas I could come up with at the moment...