Central Kenya is no longer high potential but epicenter of poverty, allocating more resources is a waste

By Empraim Njega via FB
It is a pity we are still stuck with this thinking that only the areas along and around the colonial rail line are high potential and need more resource allocation.

These places were once high potential but that potential has been fully exploited. The northern parts of the country, Ukambani and coastal areas are today’s high potential areas.

Few people understand that places like Turkana and Marsabit counties have very high agricultural potential. Turkana can feed this country.
Yet without targeted and strategic investment this will only remain potential as we continue importing maize from Mexico and onions from Tanzania.

Dr. David Ndii takes the participants through the conceptual framework for Revenue sharing @ChairpersonCra @KenyaGovernors @county_forum @IBP_Kenya @KBCChannel1 @AESAEALtd @UNDPKenya @herbling pic.twitter.com/JLygexPrCy

— CRA Kenya (@CRAKenya) December 4, 2018

How many people here know about the coffee growing potential of West Pokot County? The County is targeting to put 30,000 hectares under coffee. Baringo too has huge coffee growing potential. Where in Central Kenya can you get such land? What the hell is the coffee research centre doing in Ruiru?

We need to open up new centres of economic activity. People say that is what devolution is supposed to achieve. However, devolution resources are too little to unlock this potential. Investment by national government must be rechanneled to these places.
Can Kilifi county afford resources to tap into the one million acres Galana Kulalu irrigation project? Obviously not and that’s where national government comes in. Such a scheme can be turned into an agricity opening up huge areas for settlement and investment.
We have to agree that places like Central Kenya and Nairobi are now glorified epicentres of poverty. This will get worse if we don’t open up the country. Maybe this is opening up of the country that we should be talking about.

Areas in the centre of this country have reached a point of economic saturation and are over-exploited. Throwing more resources there will yield little if any return. We all know about the diminishing marginal utility concept in economics.

Mt Kenya and Luo Nyanza senators are stuck with a crippling and primitive scarcity mentality. This small mindedness will not take this country anywhere. We need to think big.