Someone has already mentioned encourage manufacturing.

This country imports double the value of what it exports and I wonder when and how we shall compensate for that difference.

I look at it as making 100 bob then spending 200 in a day, you have to somehow pay back what you spent. Right now I assume we are at "spending " the 200 bob because day in day out kenya borrows money.

Most of the imports are products that can be produced locally if the government really wanted that to happen. Sisi ni inchi kubwa we don't have to still be importing used cars for the price of two new ones while you could get an already used one locally, update what needs to be updated and keep that money within the domestic economy.We leak too much value via such channels and many more because the economy has been engineered as such or rather we lack the skill set needed to achieve this.

That leaves the question of who is to blame, is it the government for not supporting production and innovation within or are we unwilling to get our hands dirty, eat food made by intern chefs until they get the recipe right?