The case of blue-collar Chinese migrants that Kenya is calling “cyber-hackers”
qz.comI'm not sure about what the situation in Kenya is, but what I can speak to is what I've seen in Botswana and Costa Rica. In essence the Chinese will come in to invest in something or give a gift of something like a road, mine, stadium etc.. On the surface that sounds great for the local economy.
The problem is that there is a catch, it's not. Why? Because they bring their own materials, food and labor with them in essence adding nothing to the local economy. So, rightfully some have begun to question their presence because in many instances it is about extracting resources while giving little, if anything back to the local economy.
I'm sure the workers are unfortunate pawns in this game, but while there is racism where-ever there are people, to me it sounds like this issue goes much deeper than that.
Sounds like the economic hitman (a book by some US dude who went around the world lending money to countries in order to do the same sort of thing you're describing)
> something like a road, mine, stadium etc..
> while giving little, if anything back to the local economy
Aren't these two lines contradictory?
On the surface yes, in reality no. The only reason the road is built is to get the goods out of the mines. They extract the resources, leave and then there is no money to fund maintenance. Once again with no local jobs being created.
Could it be just racism and hatred of immigrants as usual?
They live in military style dorm because they can't afford any better. They are a visible minority, and there's no reason while Keynyans shouldn't be more racist than say Europeans.
I'm a Kenyan, Runda is one of the high end estates in the country. They never lived in a 'military style dorm'. I think there is more to the story than what the article says.
So, they were placed in this Kenyan house to do what exactly?
Article takes a long time to tell a story, then it jumps over this crucial question, and then it continues its ramblings. More details are desperately needed.
Who hired them? To do what? What they really did? Were they actually paid? What exactly are they charged for? What do their compatriots think they did?
> To do what?
"Luo arrived in September, expecting to be assigned work as a driver."
> What they really did?
“We weren’t doing anything. After we got here, all we did was sleep and eat. We never saw the boss,”
> What exactly are they charged for?
"Local media have reported that the group was running a command center for hacking, money laundering, and eventually attacking Kenya’s financial and communications system." The article at Standard Digital News which is linked from that article says "The group, operating in military style dormitories, are believed to have been conducting high-tech espionage and internet fraud, police said."
> More details are desperately needed.
I don't think the author wanted to write about cyber crime per se, the case is just a starting point to tell about the situation in general.
It's weird that he arrived in September and seems to have done nothing but sit around until December when he was arrested. Why would someone import 70-some workers and then have them do nothing for months?
Because they're cheap and management is inefficient?
wrong people at the wrong place; it seems they were unlucky and ignorant in choosing this deal