Should Kenya also think of giving Diasporas a minister and MP?

Zimbabwe is currently discussing on possibilities of giving Diasporas their own Member of Parliament given that the numbers of those living abroad is well over 3 million.Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa was presented by the idea at the Zimbabwe Business Club Davos preparatory meeting held at a local hotel in Harare.UK-based businessman, Jeff Madzingo, said Zimbabwe is probably the country with the highest number of “ambassadors out there” and the government needs to take advantage of that.“I think as a nation we are coming from a very catastrophic phase. And from the catastrophic phase, I can think of how many people we have lost going into the diaspora in terms of investment as a country and in terms of capacities and skills," said Madzingo. “We talk about issues of ease to do business; I think we should think of the ease to be Zimbabwean. So we must have our own Members of Parliament and a Minister representing our interests.”  It's true a large number of Zimbabweans live away from the nation and they play a huge part in the country's economy that former President Robert Mugabe crippled.In Kenya, things are not much different.The number of Kenyans living abroad has been soaring each year and is now estimated to be close to 4 million, about 10 per cent of the country’s population and almost a million more than Zimbabweans.The economic power this number has to the country can't be ignored. Last year alone, Kenyans abroad sent home close to KSh161.57 billion ($1.567 billion), making it Kenya’s largest source of foreign exchange.But even with such a huge impact, Diasporas are poorly represented in the country and usually end up depending on organisations, their families and communities in case of mishappenings or when pushing an agenda.Is it time for the Kenyan Government to give them a Member of Parliament or a minister who will represent their needs, cry and pleas? Because many feel the embassy is not doing enough.We have seen Kenyans being mistreated abroad and the embassy ignoring their pleas. Or families forced to solicit funds just to fly a dead one home. Or Diasporas being conned their hard-earned cash while making investments back home.Kenyans in the diaspora had in the past complained that they were disenfranchised when it came to having a say in national issues and elections owing to their inability to vote.Changes were made and now they even enjoy dual-citizenship. If they are given representatives who will push further such cause, Kenya, not even Diasporas, will benefit more.