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Post by wanyee on May 30, 2006 18:41:38 GMT 3
Testimonies of the Affected Villagers.
Dominion Farms Limited, the local affiliate of Dominion Group of Companies of Oklahoma, United States has been licensed to cultivate rice in some 2,300 ha of the Yala Swamp formerly owned by the statutory Lake Basin Development Authority in Bondo and Siaya districts. The investor now seeks to expand the area under cultivation and is building a weir and dam outside the 2,300 ha. The proposed dam will flood the community land (swamp) in Bondo and parts of Siaya district affecting people’s private land in Aduwa village, East Yimbo, and Kanyumba Village in Siaya district, sections of Abidha primary school, Got Matar health centre and Eiden polytechnic. Some 400 hectares will be swallowed and so will people’s land, property and what they depend on for a living.
Even the farm’s (Dominion’s) compensation programme is riddled with controversy as people have allegedly been coerced into the deal, while majority of those who have accepted are reported to own land elsewhere and only used the land in Aduwa for speculative purposes.
In East Yimbo 29 land owners with some 210 people will be directly affected while at Kanyumba village in Siaya district more than 100 homesteads will be affected most of whom have refused take the money for fear of losing their self-sustaining livelihood. People in all these areas are apprehensive and fearful about who they talk to and who comes into their land because of the injustices that have been meted against them. They feel betrayed, abandoned and left out by the very people who are supposed to protect them and their interests.
Aduwa Village, East Yimbo, Bondo District
Ms Mary Odera is married to Mr. Justo Adede with three children. Mary derived income to sustain herself and her family from the swamp. “This is all we depend on for living”, she says as she knits the papyrus together to make a (4 X 6) feet mat. She says pointing at the back of her grass-thatched house “this is the last papyrus I got before this place was burnt. Now we do not have any where to get papyrus from”. Apart from the papyrus and reeds, the community land is used as a grazing area for the cattle and to extract mud fish. “In my farm we also plant vegetables, and sugarcane. All this is now gone,” she says.
Dominion Farms have burned all the papyrus in the swamp and even cleared bananas, vegetables and other farm products from most local community members’ farms to prepare the place where the large body of water will sit when they block River Yala for water to accumulate. Both the Weir and dam is outside the 2,300 ha where they have been licensed to carry out commercial rice farming.
Papyrus is one of the most relied on material for production of mats which are widely used as mattresses, partition boards, fences, ceilings and carpets and are sold to as far as Kisumu city.
Mary makes 7 mats a day and on a good day she can sell up to 20 mats at kshs 100 each. The buyers sell the mats in Bondo Market at Kshs 200 each. Mary and other local women also get grass to thatch their houses from the swamp.
Dominion Farms have said that it is only 0.458 of their seven acre farm parcel No 3275 that will be affected but the district water engineer says that the water will flood all the flat land and find its own level. In the compensation list they will receive a total of Kshs 17,117.
An old woman and widow - Jael Odindo moved into their new 5 bedroom stone house in December 2005 together with her children and grand children.
Since December last year, she has been facing pressure from some local community people who want her to accept the money being offered by Dominion Farms Ltd as compensation for her land.
Jael has 11 acres. She says 6 to 7 acres of her farm will be affected. The land that has been recorded for compensation is less than three acres. There is another problem. Initially, Dominion Farms was to construct a d**e to contain its dam but they later settled for a contour dam where the water will find its own level. There is controversy over where the water will reach. Whereas the company says it will only affect 100 hectares, Water and Irrigation officials say it will flood a total of 400 hectares of people’s private farms.
The entire 11 acres belonging to Ms. Jael Odindo will actually be flooded since all her land is on a flat terrain.
“Some people have said I am hard-headed but it is my land and property I am holding onto. Some people even threatened to beat me for refusing to receive the money, but I have no where to go. This is our only livelihood and life. The reeds we used to rely on for building have all been slashed. Even the vegetables we planted have been slashed. There are hippos in River Yala and if the dam comes near here, they will disturb people. We will not even have access to clean water. Life will be a nightmare.
These people want us to get out of our farms, but I will not move out. I have six sons and 4 grand children all of whom depend on this land. Even the father of the Children Mr. James Odindo died and was buried here in 2004. We are in the hands of God because there is nowhere I can go with my grandchildren.
Dominion people should stay within the area they were licensed to produce rice and our land and only livelihood. In my farm we planted maize, beans, millet, vegetables and groundnuts”, narrates Jael.
Janet Okello – a middle aged woman is a widow with four children (two boys and two girls). She says “the earth is our biggest resource and I will not accept the money. I grow maize, millet, beans, vegetables and potatoes on my farm. The 5 acre land is the only resource I have and if it goes it is like taking my lives and that of my children away”.
Ms Janet’s name is even not in the list of people who are being compensated by Dominion Farms Limited.
“There is mischief in the manner in which this list has been compiled and how people are made to sign. They first came with a list of Names and parcel numbers which they obtained from the Land’s offices in Nairobi. One would then be asked to sign against their parcel number to confirm that it is their land. Details about the size of their land and the size to be compensated were not shared then. Most of the money has been taken by the local leaders who are forcing people to sign for compensation.
Somebody must have taken this widows land that is why her name is not even in the list”, says Erastus Odindo a local community member who refused to sign against their land.
A 60 year old widow and grandmother Ms. Mary Oware is very bitter about the Dominion project and the county councils of Bondo and Siaya. A beacon has been put outside her house. Her entire farm and houses will be flooded.
She says, “Some people came and started making this thing”, she says pointing at the beacon which is used to show where water levels of the dam will cover. “I asked them what this is for and they said it is used to measure water. They again came later and asked me to take Kshs 40,000 and leave the farm. I have eight sons and one girl and seven grand children. I have lived here all my life and there is no where I am going”.
Five of her daughters got married but they died before dowry was paid. “In our customs if the mother of the children die before dowry is paid children are brought back to the girls parents and that is why all the seven grand children are with me”, she says.
Ms Oware has 4 acres on which she plants millet, maize and beans. She also has 10 heads of cattle and 25 goats and they all graze in the community land.
“Even those who agreed to take the money are now crying fowl. All their cows are grazing in the same land which they have signed away. How does the county council take community land without talking to us yet they say it is community land. We have known this to be our resource since 1960s and it is from here we always get firewood, grass to thatch our houses, water and area to graze our cattle. They tell us this is a government project. Which government is this that takes everything from its own people and leaves them in poverty?” she asks.
Kanyumba village, Barolengo, Siaya District
Kanyumba village is the main vegetable supplier in Bondo district. The area is lush with green vegetables from which people eke out their living. Many cattle also graze in the open field here. People in this place have vowed to defend their land to the hilt as it is all they rely on for a living. They say their county council (Siaya) and member of parliament have mortgaged all their life and livelihood to Dominion Farms. They do not understand why people are chased out of their self-sustaining land in the name of development yet they will sink deeper into the abyss of poverty.
Mr. Samuel Ongile is one of the harshest critique of the proposed dam. “This place is where all my life is”, he says. “I feed myself and my family from the farm. There is no way I can sell this land”.
A beacon was put outside their 2 acre farm in Kanyumba village which is under the name of his father Mr. Joseph Osira. “They slashed our bananas, trees and some of my vegetables without even telling us what was going on”, says Ongile.
Married with five children, 31-year old Mr. Ongile farms vegetables which he sells at Bondo market. Three of his children are at Barolengo primary school. We met Samuel Ongile along with three other young men riding bicycles with bags full of green vegetables - sukuma wiki. Ongile says, he sells one bag of vegetables at kshs 2,500 and makes Kshs 12,000 every week from the farm product.
An old Woman - Angelina Achola says her husband is too old to work and she is the breadwinner of her family. All her nine children and 18 grandchildren depend on the land which will also be flooded.
“This is where we get food, school uniform and fees. If the land is taken, we will feel very bad. I have dug a small portion because we have been told by people from Dominion Farms that water is coming and we should not cultivate this land”, says Angelina.
Middle-aged Joyce Awuor makes a living with her husband Mr. Samuel Omondi from the fertile land near the River Yala. “We earn Kshs 1,500 from a bag of vegetables and also graze our cattle here. If we accept the money, it will get finished but the farm will always take care of us”, she says.
40-year old Jecinta Aluoch Ochieng and her husband Patrick Ochieng are unhappy that the land they depend on is being given away. “We do not work anywhere. We depend on this farm for everything. We graze our cattle here and plant vegetables which we sell to earn us income for aliving”.
According to Mr. John Ayila, the Chairman of Barolengo community 108 homesteads will be affected in this area. “When we met our member of parliament, he told us to take Dominion to court if he has offended us. We feel betrayed by our leaders.”
A ministry of Water official in Bondo who sought anonymity said that Dominion is using diesel to burn grass and papyrus in Nyamaya – an area rich with different fish and riverine species.
Yala Swamp is a unique ecosystem. Apart from the rare fish species, other inhabitants include birds, such as the heron, egret, crane, wagtail, guinea fowl and eagles, and animals such as warthog, gazelles, sitatunga, hippos, antelopes, hyenas, jackals, porcupine, waterbuck and wild pig.
Its because of its uniqueness that the World Bank has raised questions about its survival. In an aide de memoir that followed a supervision mission, November 24 – 30, 2005, the Bank noted: “A major concern was raised with the mission about the agricultural developments occurring in the Yala Swamp. There is large scale reclamation of parts of the swamp for production of rice, cotton, fruits; fish farming is also being practiced…The importance of (neighbouring Lake Kanyabole) and swamp in terms of biodiversity cannot be stressed strongly enough because these are the remaining refuges of many haplochromines that disappeared from Lake Victoria in 1960s and 1970s. The companies who are developing the farming activities in the swamp should be held accountable for their activities …”
The World Bank funds Lake Victoria Environmental Management Programme, as Grant No. 28319.
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Raila fans - Nawangoja nyote...
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Post by adongo12345 on May 30, 2006 23:40:42 GMT 3
First of let's discuss this Yala travesty without the silly mischief of talking about "Raila fans". It betrays the fact that the motive of all this may not be about the Yala project but rather some pissing contest onhow to beat up on Raila. I amnot so sure that the whole thing is Raila's creation to begin with.
Now to the issue at hand.
I am from Bondo and many of my relatives have been affected both negatively and some positively by the Yala Dominion project. Some of my relatives are employed at the joint and they get mad when I tell them the whole is a tragedy in the making.
It is good to read some of the comments from the people directly affected by this thing. I have many problems with the whole project and I will outline some of them.
1. The mere fact that we should take a huge chunk of probably one of the most fertile pieces of land anywhere in the world and hand it over to a foreign company who will basically employ the local folks as labourers and cooks while the Diminion Farm reaps milions in profits is just mindboggling. This area has benefitted from thousands of years of top soil deposits from the rivers that converge there.
2. It is hard to believe that the Lake Basin Authority, which Raila does not control by the way and which had ownership of a huge part of the land and the mandate to develop it did not initiate a single development project in the area for more than two decades. Is it any wonder there is so much poverty in the area.
3. My little economics which I studied in my persuit of a Bcom degree at Nairobi University and basic common sense tells me that development starts with the people. I find it comical that a project that requires that thousands of people are bundled out of their land which is then flooded with water is actually called development. There has to be another name for the stupidity going on down.
4. The potential for the area and its people is huge and could have significant impact in the whole region. This place is ideal for intensive intergrated mixed farming focused on collective pulling of the land and water access to individuals and groups. These could include dairy farming, fish farming, fruits and veges and of course the local crops. In this approach the local population wil have significant ownership of the entire undertaking and be the beneficiaries. In fact there motivation would be so high they would work their tails oof to make it a sucess. To do these there has to be an overall plan and access to funds and resources. This is what the bloody Lake Basin Authority should have been doing.
5. It is frightening that handing over this extremely fertile land which is a major catchment for the Lake water system to foreign multinational corporation is deemed by many of the leading lites in Nyanza as a conerstone for development. The lack of imagination and creativity when it comes to development for rural Kenya is the biggest drawback gacing our country today. That is why we have 5.8% economic growth rate and an increasing level of poverty of the population. This is the shame of the nation.
Adongo
unedited
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Post by roughrider on May 31, 2006 10:13:10 GMT 3
Luo old men are wont to say this: you cannot develop as a virgin. It has the same meaning as the English saying ‘one must break an egg to make an omelet’. Development by its very definition implies transformational change – that change must often cause environmental degradation. So we must accept that for us to make any progress we need to contend with some ‘environmental damage’.
Economists are only too aware of the ‘environmental Kuznets curve’ – as the economy grows there is, up to a certain point some increased environmental depletion. It is on this basis that I urge caution before we join the bandwagon of misplaced environmental activism. Don’t get me wrong, everything must be done to mitigate damage, but often, it is unavoidable; Trees must be cut, land cleared, dust raised and smoke emitted. That is how development happens.
Some years ago when the Sondu Miriu hydroelectric power project was mid-stream, the environmental activist types let rip; they raised all manner of objections to that project and lobbied everyone who cared to listen about how the project was not in the interests of the locals – who when NOT being employed were suffering from dust, noise and tremors caused by heavy machinery. They almost succeeded. Suffice to say that reason eventually prevailed and the project continued.
Similar objections have been raised in the other projects: take the Tiomin Titanium mining project for instance; even after several environmental impact assessments, there are those who still oppose this project. I was bemused to see some Jukwaa colleagues share a ‘what!’ moment because Ted Majaliwa, who used to oppose the project, now works for Tiomin. I see nothing wrong with that. Tiomin has fulfilled his earlier objections and now he can work with them to ensure that all is well.
As we speak, Asia, powered by China and India are growing at record rates. But they are also becoming the biggest polluters in the world; the cloud of smoke coming up over China is amazing. This lends credence to the environmental version of the Kuznets curve.
There is need for open discussions on who is funding the NGO’s that engage in activism and what the real objectives might be. Take the Heinrich Boell Foundation, for instance, their motto is ‘meddling is the only way to stay relevant’. Really?
Now, what do I think about the Yala Swamp project? I agree there might be some legitimate concerns here and there. But in principle, I support the investment (the land is leased for 25 years). I am aware that necessary EIA's has been conducted and must not be breached. Buit people will always complain and activists must find a job for themselves; busybodies must be busy.
Nobody else had made any proposals to invest there…and quite frankly, I do not think the people who live around the Yala swamp had the capacity, technical or financial, to make use of that land. The government of course could not be bothered.
The locals are notorious for their complacent attitude towards development of their homeland. The thing with the people of Siaya and neighboring districts is that as soon as they can walk; the educated and able bodied, usually run away to Nairobi and other far flung capitals where they rent or build palatial homes and live lavishly. It is only when they die that we get to go back 'home'. I recently went to the burial of a 40-something friend who, on the face of it, had made it in life. This was at a place called Yimbo. We were shocked to find that this guy had not even bothered to construct a small hut, a simba, and that his old mother wallowed in helplessness and penury. If you catch my drift, you will see why the people in that area cannot mobilize capital and other resources to develop. It is attitude. So the next best thing is to allow external investment, which might trickle to the villagers who cannot escape to nairobi – the Tiomins and the Dominions have a role.
We need honest and open discussions on how the people of Siaya and Nyanza at large can be encouraged to energize for their development. Devolution and cultural change are ways which can help improve their outlook.
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Post by tambo on May 31, 2006 17:17:01 GMT 3
It is amazing that people in this forum are fine with such a project that is designed to benefit the co-operate world and blind to the fact that the people who have been using this land, are going to loose in the very long run.
We are not looking at the cultural beliefs that are practiced by this lake people. They've been here for the length of their lives, burried their keens and the spirits are alive here.
It's sad that we still look at the western world as mindfull of our people and would do anything to make us equall to them,if not dependent. Teach the people if you are for true, they did not come to look for you,and that means that they were able to take care of their lives. However difficult it looked. That is the maturity that we need, faced with a problem,a solution solved is not by passing that problem to others. NO! NO!.. we have to let the people wake up and stop inventing needs for them. That is the same thing that we thought we had fought, self dependent.
When evrything is sayed and done we are theones to loose. Wanyee your posts, together with your sidekick Ndauosa are reflctive of the concerns of the young people, who look refuse to that we can all is well. Am with you.
You remember Ndanu in Gem, also has Raila on the line up and it is a matter of grabbing.
The land redistribution should be taken serious, it is affecting all the African Nations, and you wonder why.
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Post by tambo on May 31, 2006 17:37:52 GMT 3
What also amazes me is,that having read so many stories,opinions,views,comments,in newspapers in Australia,about Africa,it makes me wonder why there is so much,bias,untruths,hearsay,critics,anti black,and anti all about Africa and its people.As a Kenyan,knowing much of Africa and its people,all of the above mentioned fails to pass the test of what Africa and its people really are.Have a look around the western world,of the past and the present,and what political and social problems,there are,the pattern,is far more greater and on a bigger scale,wars,genocide,division,corruption,and many many more problems,but it is always in Africa,that it seems,all this happens.To put it bluntly,then,the underlying reason,to me because it has always been DARKEST AFRICA,and it is BLACK,is RACIST.
If you do not agree with the Yala project then you are calling for, a negative publicity. Which our so called leaders wouldn't stomach. The possibility of them not being able to be recognized when they go to this lands, to check on their bank accounts.
The Jang'o in Siaya and those being affected with tiomin will never even get that opportunity. Majali happened to take that chance and forget about his activism....?Amkeni.
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Post by tambo on May 31, 2006 18:03:15 GMT 3
Notice to the Administrator, Please Can you check my friend Ndauosa's log in details.
Over our chattings he has asked me to foward his concerns on this. And if possible notify him.
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Post by wanyee on Jun 2, 2006 0:45:11 GMT 3
Adongo,
I would like to offer my sincere apologies regarding the "Raila fans" comment. I meant it as 'an invitation' to blind supporters who don't even bother to learn about facts, before swearing meaningless allegiance. Kenya simply has no room for that any more.
So, as you have said, let us discuss the issue at hand minus the mischief.
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This is why I believe that Raila strongly supports Dominion's project:
[10 leaders support Yala swamp irrigation project - Daily Nation, 1st May 2006]
Ten MPs led by Mr Raila Odinga have defended the controversial Yala Swamp project saying it is a major gateway to prosperity for the people of the region.
The MPs told a British NGO, ActionAid, to keep off the irrigation project since the local people were comfortable with the activities of Dominion Farms Limited, an American firm. They also cautioned the media against what they termed as biased reports on the Sh2.5 billion project.
Mr Odinga told Dominion Farms president Calving Burgges that they will support him because he had “spent millions of shillings for the sake of our people.”
He said: “We have come a long way with this project and ActionAid should keep off. Let the NGO start its project rather than spend money around criticising what other people are doing.” ...
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On the other hand, you have presented some very important ideas. Very informative and very encouraging / inspiring.
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Roughrider,
Development does not have to be characterized by 'unneccesary' / wanton environmental damage.
First and FOREMOST, the wetland serves a very CRITICAL function as a natural filter for Lake Victoria. This alone should raise the red flags.
Adongo has also 'reiterated' other very important points. For the sake of avoiding redundancy, can you please address these, before I respond to you.
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Now, concerning Tiomin:
Are you familiar with the facts sorrounding this project? Do you think that it is only NGO's who oppose such projects? Have you OBJECTIVELY read through all the posts in the thread on "The Titanium-Mining Scandal"?
Concerning Majaliwa: You have said that "Tiomin has fulfilled his earlier objections and now he can work with them to ensure that all is well". Have you watched Dongo Kundu? If so, do you remember Ted Majaliwa's objections in the film? Here's one of them:
"I think Tiomin is trying to enslave us again. This area has a history of slavery. My own great grandfather was brought up here as a slave. I would hate to see that in the year 2000 these things are coming back again -- because basically that is what it means if Tiomin is allowed to put up that facility there."
Tambo has spoken the truth - Majaliwa has been compromised, plain and simple.
(Ahsante sana kwa kuniunga mkono Tambo!).
And which Environmental Impact Assessments are you referring to Roughrider? You even say several?
I must ask you again - have you read through the "The Titanium-Mining Scandal" thread?
Meanwhile, here's something to consider, by the way, regarding the outfit that deals with EIA's (i.e the National Environmental Management Authority, NEMA)...
'Environment watchdog was fertile ground for abuse of office': A report by the Efficiency Monitoring Unit accuses NEMA directors of holding too many board and committee meetings with the sole intention of earning hefty allowances - The EastAfrican,
See also:
Letters: Nema audit report tip of the iceberg - Daily Nation, 3rd May 2006.
You also wrote (concerning Yala) "that necessary EIA's has been conducted and must not be breached". Are you sure?
Did you read the following article by Ken Opala:
[It is a matter of life and death for entire village - Daily Nation, 26th February 2006]?
Here's an excerpt, specifically concerning the EIA:
"But environmental experts say the permission lacks the requisite licence by National Environment Management Authority (Nema). A Nema licence precedes any other permits, according to Dr Richard Abila, the deputy director of Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute.
The controversy has also drawn in water authorities in Siaya. An audit of the site done by his office in February-March 2005 showed that Dominion was only allowed to build dams on the 2,300ha farm, not outside.
Nevertheless, local authorities, area politicians and Dominion have vowed to go ahead with the development..."
And there is much, much more on the environment.
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You said: "We need honest and open discussions on how the people of Siaya and Nyanza at large can be encouraged to energize for their development".
I agree. So let's start by getting educated about the facts, then we can go from there. Ama?
For starters, consider the following:
1. If the entire wetland is put under rice, it could yield an annual value of Kshs 3,948,000,000.
2. Annual milk production from the livestock presently in the area, amounts to Ksh 1,521,011,826.
3. If the entire wetland is under papyrus, its value would be Kshs 899,209,881,000.
Then there are people like Mr. Samuel Ongile. Married with five children, 31-year old Mr. Ongile farms vegetables which he sells at Bondo market. Three of his children are at Barolengo primary school. Ongile says, he sells one bag of vegetables at kshs 2,500 and makes Kshs 12,000 every week from the farm product.
The Americans are offering him Ksh 40,000 to leave his farm permanently! What is the economic sense behind this?
[Source: Options In The Yala Wetland Management For Sustainable Development And Biodiversity Conservation - NARE-SK].
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Post by roughrider on Jun 6, 2006 11:03:54 GMT 3
Wanyee – I am busy reading and rereading elements of the two projects, that I have just put my hands on and will certainly provide a reasoned opinion.
Meanwhile, with reference to the issues you raised so emphatically, I agree with the need to avoid unnecessary environmental damage but also aver that any quest for ‘development’ must contend with some necessary environmental ‘damage’.
In the twin projects your opposition – and those of Adongo Ogony - struck me as rather knee jerk and un-constructive: we should not oppose the essence of the projects merely because it is the politically correct thing to do or perhaps to burnish a carefully cultivated activist image, but instead seek to create a healthy balance between environmental/social safeguards versus economic trade offs. I hope, in principle, you gentlemen can support the development of the Yala swamp and the sustainable exploitation of Titanium at the Kenyan coast. From that premise we can discuss the shortfalls of the 'How'.
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Post by wanyee on Jun 7, 2006 20:38:53 GMT 3
roughrider,
I assume that by putting 'damage' in quotes, you mean 'adjustments'. In which case, I would say that when dealing with the environment, certain 'adjustments' are sometimes necessary. But this is not at all the case here. In the case of Yala, for instance, the first issue at stake is that of the role of the wetland in an ecosystem. We must ponder the implications of disrupting this natural filtration system.
Regarding Tiomin: If you have read "the titanium-mining scandal" thread, you will see that my opposition is based on A LOT MORE than just trying to do the "politically correct thing" or "burnish a carefully cultivated activist image". In the same vein, by "knee-jerk and unconstructive", do you mean irrational? (I must ask you again - have you carefully read through the above thread?
The "economic trade-offs" you have mentioned should never be detrimental to us in the long-run, as is evidently the case here. Pursuant to this, I certainly hope that you not referring to these imperialistic arrangements as mere "trade-offs"?! Consider the following:
“We need a strategy to address the real problems faced by ordinary Canadians…This strategy must constitute a clear break with past and present economic policies. It must confront the serious structural economic problems we face in an honest and creative way. It must state what needs to be done, even if the remedies outlined are not popular…And it must challenge, directly, the prevailing arguments propounded by business interests that the only way to resolve the crisis is to give private investors a completely free hand to restructure the economy according to their priorities. The purpose of an alternate strategy must be to satisfy the basic social and economic needs of ordinary Canadians, rather than to maximize the profits of wealthy investors. It must create jobs, rather than use employment as a means of undermining the wages and job security of workers. It must promote socially useful arguments, rather than speculation in finance, banking, real estate and foreign currency, no matter how profitable the latter activities are. It must focus on raising real wages and living standards, rather than sacrificing these to provide a more favorable investment climate for private capital…Fundamental to the implementation of an alternate economic strategy is the recognition that it is a mistake to give more say over economic decision making to private investors. What we need is to establish genuine public control over economic policy. This will entail new forms of involvement by – and accountability to – ordinary citizens…The corporate sector has waged a remarkably successful campaign to discredit all forms of public ownership and control. This campaign has been immeasurably assisted by the actions of business-oriented governments, who have made no attempt to explore the very real possibilities which public ownership provides for democratic control by citizens” [Daniel Drache and Duncan Cameron (eds), 1985; The Other Macdonald Report: The Consensus On Canada’s Future That The Macdonald Commission Left Out, James Lorimar & Company, Publishers (Toronto)].
In principle, therefore, I would support the SUSTAINABLE development of both projects IF AND ONLY IF they are conducted in our people's best / long-term interests. Plain and simple. In this regard, what do you think of the following statement by Professor Maathai (regarding Kwale)?
"Kenyans are getting so little from the mining that it is going to be a rip-off…the slave labour will be provided by Kenyans…the Kenyan government should have been the one to invest in the production and processing of the minerals" [Troubles Mount for Canadian Titanium Mine in Kenya – Environment News Service (www.ens-newswire.com), 11th April 2001].
We should discuss the shortfalls of the 'how', ONLY after we have addressed the critical issue of the environment. If you would like me to elaborate on the seriousness of this, I will be more than happy to do so. Meanwhile, please note the following (copied from "the titanium-mining scandal" thread):
“Tiomin presented a doctored Environmental Impact Assessment when applying for its license” [Professor Maathai in Troubles Mount for Canadian Titanium Mine in Kenya - Environment News Service (www.ens-newswire.com), 11th April 2001].
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) preceded Professor Maathai’s claim, calling Tiomin’s EIA “incomplete and unbiased” [Kenyan Farmers Battle Mining – San Francisco Chronicle, 11th April 2000].
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Further on Yala:
Once again, it has much more value as is, than if the entire swamp was covered in rice! And this is before the potential industries have been considered!
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Post by roughrider on Jun 8, 2006 18:41:33 GMT 3
Uh huh
Let me see... where do we begin... so much work here, too little time.
Wanyee
I want to say only two things at this point. I am saying only two things because I indicated that I am reading material on the two projects and will shortly give an informed opinion.
First we disagree on what constitutes the public interest. Public interest i use interchangeably with common interest and societal interest. Some of us can successfully and reasonably contend that ‘free’ market can be in the public interest. This is very basic economics. I can quote Adam Smith or Francois Quesnay on that. Or millions of others. I am spoilt for choice here.
There is what we call the ‘invisible hand’ in market economics that guides the self interest of every individual such that their ‘individual selfishness’ is for the common good.
...every individual necessarily labours to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.
"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" Adam Smith, 1776.
So that paragraph you quote from Canada something something… is not quite the story.
The second mistake you make – and it has been made by Abdulmote in another thread – is to expect responses to specific issues or the specific projects. Sometimes responses can be targeted to the philosophy, the reasoning, the implications and the assumptions. Do not be lulled by the thought that I might not have read any of what you’ve written. Indeed I have. Only that I chose to respond to things that may not be apparent but are underlying.
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Post by maina on Jun 9, 2006 0:31:47 GMT 3
Roughrider, What you have methodically quoted from Adam Smith is by the way, one of his assumptions! Actually, he assumed that ethics have to be applied to wealth distribution and management and in so saying, he inferred that there should not be a patent disparity between the wealthy and those that do not have wealth. Then the quaint and maverick Karl Marx used that same assumption to argue out his nonconformist and visionary worldview! He referred to those who do not have wealth as the "poor", thereby nailing his argument by inspiring emotions and feelings of compassion towards the "poor". He then continued to argue that there should not be a relevant contrariety between the employer and the employee. Now go figure! Isn’t that what he based his unrealistic labour philosophy on............relativism? Have you ever wondered why he never touched the gender aspect of labour, yet feminist Social Democrats love and hail Marxism? And now you’ve diligently and recklessly adopted it in your arguments? You know..................from all this, I have no reason to doubt that there is something essentially wrong with us, as Kenyans, in general. Why do we get fascinated with/by strange attributes? Why adopt a worldview that is visionary and cannot be applied to reality as we know it, or even be tested? Men! It’s a pity, but then again, what does one do when the idea of knowledge and its contrivance is applied to education, and then implied to mean and signify relativism, in this age of pluralism? Can truth surely be relative? How about knowledge; is it relative, or do the varied schools of thought in the many academies argue it out that way? Some things just simply and plainly make me mad! Ati "public interest..............."  ? Shame! Anyways, like I maintain, and also from my background as a practising actuary, statistical facts are what you should emphasize, not economic assumptions! Ever wondered why these Smiths, Engels, Dworkins, and all the other consequentialists, et al, never lived to implement their philosophies? Surely, do you honestly think it was by default/bad luck? And now here you are, brazenly and confidently adopting the idea of the academy (read the philosophy of skepticism) – will it work in a conservative nation like Kenya? What happened to self-preservation? I’ll stop right there, I have an NBA game to watch. Kwaheri for now. Please do not allow the philosophy of skepticism to influence your judgments. One goes to school to get educated, not to be brainwashed and psychologized. ..........................d**n! Maina -unedited- |
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Post by wanyee on Jun 11, 2006 5:58:37 GMT 3
Thank you Maina. --- Roughrider, Please allow me to use someone else’s words: “The present rules of globalized finance and investment encourage moving control away from the communities that need to have it. Capital has been made completely mobile so that it can always move wherever profit opportunity is greatest. Mobility of capital – which…was opposed by the original gurus of free trade David Ricardo and Adam Smith – has required that local communities change their economies and their priorities to appeal to foreign capital investment and then follow their negative strictures from structural adjustment programs to draconian loan conditions. “Subsidiarity and localization require a reversal of that formula to emphasize and favor local direct investment over foreign investment. Where foreign investment continues to be sought, local communities should control its conditions. The goal is to redirect all benefits to the local community including jobs, local livelihoods, services, local urban community development, small-scale energy, manufacturing for domestic and local markets rather than export, and the like” [John Cavanagh and Jerry Mander (eds), 2004; Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World Is Possible, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. (San Francisco, CA)]. “Ironically, free trade theorists often invoke the names and theories of Adam Smith and David Ricardo in defense of these destructive export-oriented policies. Yet Smith had an explicit preference for small, locally owned enterprises. And Ricardo’s theory of comparative advantage assumes that capital is immobile, confined inside national borders – a far cry from the current rules and theories. “Converting diverse local economies into export trade systems benefits global corporations but makes individuals, communities, and nations dependant and vulnerable. Society, communities, and the environment would all be better off if international institutions and agreements emphasized aiding local and national self-sufficiency rather than export production. “The agricultural sector is a prime example of the social and environmental problems of the export-oriented development model. Even in today’s computer age, nearly half of the world’s population still lives on the land, growing food for their families and communities, primarily staples and other mixed crops. These farmers replant with indigenous seed varieties and use crop rotation and community sharing of resources like water, seeds, and labor. Such systems have kept them going for millennia. But local systems are anathema to global corporations. So companies like Monsanto, Cargill, and Archer Daniels Midland are leading a chorus of corporate, government, and bureaucratic statements – often expressed in millions of dollars worth of advertising – that small farmers are not “productive” or “efficient” enough to feed a hungry world. “Nearly all the investment rules of the WTO and the big banks – and many more now being proposed – strongly favor global corporations and monocultures over local diverse farming for self-sufficiency. So where tens of thousands of small farmers once grew food to eat, giant corporations and global development schemes are converting the land to single-crop luxury monocultures run by absentee landlords” [Ibid]. You wrote that: "...you just need to understand what politics is about. The aim of a politician is to get power - power to serve certain interests that may or may not be beneficial to the people...Kenyan politics is currently based more on personality and less on issues. This is a reality we must live with and work with. It is the product of historical social (read ethnic) and political processes that we are all too aware of...Those who can not work around and countenance the stark reality of ethnic, personality based politics - i.e. those who lack the right dose of pragmatism to season their lofty ideals -- are invited to do two things..." NO! This does not have to be our reality. The aim of a politician is NOT supposed to be for the purpose of obtaining power, but to SERVE. "He who would assume public office, should consider himself public property" - something along those lines...Politicians are expected to carry great RESPONSIBILITY. Politics is about managing society's resources, not stealing them. You also wrote that: "Politicians make promises and create electoral and other forces (propaganda is one) in the name of the people, most of which they do not deliver. And it is not unique to Kenya." Does this state of affairs strike you as being normal? Is this the way you believe it is supposed to be? Do you know that even in the west, the masses are unknowingly exploited by the ruling elite? --- Idealism is not necessarily utopian. Indeed, the 'wave of deceit' is nothing new at all, and that is precisely why we must call the bluff. That is the whole point. This vicious cycle simply must stop! Storm in Yala swamp: The untold story of Siaya’s troubled farm project – Kenya Times. www.timesnews.co.ke/24apr06/magazine/magazine1.html |
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Post by wanyee on Aug 4, 2006 22:18:06 GMT 3
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Post by wanyee on Nov 3, 2006 1:27:40 GMT 3
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Post by KOLONEL BRISK on Nov 3, 2006 11:09:54 GMT 3
If it is true that Raila lacks vision then He is not the only one. Check out this link, we can conclude we have so many Railas out there in different countries. In this world it is wise to give a well established corporation a foothold in order to reap banefits to your people, or country. www.mbendi.co.za/orgs/cdlk.htm |
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Post by wanyee on Nov 4, 2006 0:02:50 GMT 3
Colonel Brisk, I know that we have many Raila’s in this world. That seems to have become the norm. But this is not about Raila. The man just happens to be directly in the line of fire. In fact, Mr. Raila Odinga happens to be a major obstacle, being among the most effective in ensuring that the smokescreens last. I am talking about all that “development” jive that the likes of Raila keep running around the country with (and now, the world), deceiving wanaanchi. What does Raila have to offer the people, that is of substance, in the time and under the conditions that we are living in? Definitely not cheap politics - the man is still talking about foul play, with regards to the power-sharing deal he had with ‘the others’. What is his position on comprehensive reforms prior to the next elections? At this time, is there anything more important for Kenya’s leaders to talk about? Chapter 8 on natural resources, for instance, is the cornerstone of Vision 2030. Doesn’t Raila know this? This brings me to your statement about being “wise to give a well established corporation a foothold in order to reap banefits to your people, or country.” I presume that you are referring to Dominion’s Yala swamp project (?) If so, do you really want to go there? And did you know that Raila is one of the strongest proponents of the titanium-mining project in Kwale? Colonel Brisk, if you are sufficiently familiar with these so-called foreign investments, I am sure that you would concur with all that I am saying. My objective is simple – and that is to dismantle the structures that are enslaving billions of people worldwide. I repeat, Mr. Raila Odinga just happens to be in the line of fire. Check out this link: You will see that the entire planet does not have any more time for cheap talk: worldeconomicjustice.blogspot.com/ |
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Post by wanyee on Nov 10, 2006 0:17:40 GMT 3
Roughrider,
You once wrote that:
"Luo old men are wont to say this: you cannot develop as a virgin. It has the same meaning as the English saying ‘one must break an egg to make an omelet’. Development by its very definition implies transformational change – that change must often cause environmental degradation. So we must accept that for us to make any progress we need to contend with some ‘environmental damage’."
What do you think of the following article?:
Country’s wetlands could dry
By Standard reporter
The country’s wetlands are at risk of depletion, scientists have warned.
They expressed concern over the uncontrolled farming around Mt Kenya, Mt Elgon, Aberdares, Lake Victoria and parts of Coast.
The scientists from Global Environment Centre (GEC) and Wetlands International (WI) said the management of peat lands, biodiversity and climate change in Kenya is not sustainable.
Mr Faizal Parish of GEC and Mr Marcel Silvius of WI, who were making a presentation at the World Agroforestry Centre, urged governments to help communities living around peat lands to conserve them by planting indigenous species, especially the papyrus.
The scientists, who assessed peatlands, biodiversity and climate change, especially in Kenya, warned that the climate change’s impacts on biodiversity could lead to more droughts.
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Post by wanyee on Jan 29, 2007 20:02:13 GMT 3
NEWS EXTRA
-----------------------
Story by PETER KIMANI
Publication Date: 1/29/2007
Dominion denies dominating denizens
I spoke with Dominion Farms Ltd’s managing director last week on the fate of Maria Aoko Okello, the hapless widow who has been homeless since last November, after her hut was washed away by floods.
I am also in receipt of a letter by Leo Odera Omolo, who does not specify his connection with Dominion, but nonetheless clarifies the company’s work in Yala swamp.
I shall quote from the letter to avoid any “misrepresentation”, as Odera alleges about my earlier article.
“The management of Dominion Farm Limited (DFL), based at Yala River in Siaya, a project which is covering both sides of Yala River in Bondo and Siaya districts, have strongly refuted a report which appeared in the Daily Nation (Monday Mix column).
Paid all her claims
“The director, Mr Graham Vetch, said the company took it as a very serious misrepresentation of facts...Mrs Maria Aoko Okello, the alleged victim of cruelty and inhuman treatment by the foreign firm, was adequately paid all her claims.”
Mr Vetch gave a detailed breakdown of how Mrs Okello was paid, as follows:- She had a 0.8892 acre of land, for which she received Sh20,070. She was further paid Sh14,375 for a small-dilapidated grass-thatched dwelling house. The woman further received Sh2,000 as compensation for loss of fruit trees. She received Sh28,355 for other valued structures within the homestead.
Money in safe custody
Mrs Okello thumb-printed her signature on the agreement form and the payment was released to her in December 2005. “Basically, she might have squandered the money on other things and forgotten to buy a piece of land. Or she may be keeping the money in safe custody and causing unwarranted troubles.”
If flood waters submerged Mrs Okello’s house, this should be treated as a natural calamity. But she must move out of her homestead after receiving a colossal sum of money in compensation, unless she wants to turn herself into a con-woman.
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Post by wanyee on Mar 1, 2007 23:29:25 GMT 3
Yala swamp firm to open new rice mill
BUSINESS
Story by JOHN ONYANGO
Publication Date: 2/27/2007
Controversy continued to dog a US firm yesterday even as it announced new investment plans.
Dominion Farms Limited, whose farms on Yala Swamp in Siaya District have in the recent past been the focus of protests by groups of villagers, says it will commission a new rice mill with a capacity to process four tonnes of rice an hour in the next three weeks.
The mill will be located on the firm’s premises in the district, country director Graham Vetch said.
Announcement
But even as the announcement was made, the residents of Kadenge sub-location bordering the project said they were opposed to plans by the company to move residents of four villages (out of the eight which make up the sub-location) from their ancestral land.
Mr Vetch last week told a team of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture that they would move the residents out to pave way for expansion of the company’s farm.
However, Dominion would build houses for the affected families before moving them to their new proposed re-settlement area.
The residents, through their spokesperson Joseph Ohur Abol, said they would not move out of their ancestral homesteads where they had stayed for years.
“Why should someone induce us with a one-room iron sheet house, from a place where I had followed traditional rituals in setting up my homestead,” posed Abol yesterday.
He castigated politicians from the area of quietly supporting the proposed plans for their own interests.
“In the long run, we might find ourselves squatters in our own area,” Mr Abol said. “That is why we are against the move by the firm,” he added.
According to him, the politicians were supporting the intended move by claiming that the venture would open up the area for development.
He said the residents were not against development, but wanted the investor to respect their traditional beliefs.
Mr Abol noted that the firm was yet to fulfil the promise it made to the community when it signed a memorandum of understanding, and they were now not ready to trust them.
“We were promised a lot of hefty things in terms of development, but nothing is yet to take on,” he claimed.
He claimed that youths from the area were yet to be employed by the firm on either casual or permanent basis, as was agreed.
Nyanza provincial director of Agriculture Zakayo Magara, while welcoming the plan, urged the firm to exercise caution saying the move to some extent would touch the traditional customary rituals of the affected community.
Mr Vetch said much of the rice to be produced by his company would be for local consumption, though they would also be targeting the regional market.
“We don’t expect to venture into the East African market before we satisfy our local consumption”, he added.
Mr Graham made the remarks when a team from the cotton development secretariat led by Ms Mary Githaiga visited the farm.
The team also visited a widows and orphans group in Wagai, Ndere cotton ginnery, and some groups engaged in food security programmes in Rarieda.
Ongoing wrangles
They later paid a courtesy call on the Siaya district commissioner where they expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing wrangles at the ginnery.
Mr Graham said the company intends to use 9,000 acres of land to plant rice, making Kenya the largest producer of cotton in sub-Saharan region.
During the first harvest, the company planted rice on 300 acres of the swamp, and recorded high yields of around four tonnes per acre.
The company is currently levelling the ground at a cost of Sh60,000 an acre, in preparation for the next planting season, where around 550 acres of land would be utilised.
It has reclaimed almost 2,200 acres of land for horticultural crops, alongside rice.
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Post by wanyee on Mar 5, 2007 19:29:17 GMT 3
My sincere apologies for the apparent mishap here.
Please read the next posting.
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Post by wanyee on Mar 5, 2007 19:31:01 GMT 3
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Post by wanyee on Mar 15, 2007 2:20:08 GMT 3
Why villagers oppose rice project
Publication Date: 3/14/2007
We are alarmed at a story in the Nation of February 27, titled: ‘Yala Swamp firm to open new rice mill’.
We in Budalang’i constituency in Busia District, join our counterparts in Kadenge Sub-location of Siaya to reject Dominion company’s plans to remove villagers from their ancestral land to create room for the project.
As many are aware, on November 15, 2006, MPs debated and passed a Motion in Parliament tabled by Nominated MP Peter Oloo Aringo. We, the Abanyala aware of the value of courage, must stand up and say a big NO to the MPs who supported Dominion’s expansion project into the Yala Swamp in Busia.
We don’t want to be caught in a similar situation to that which has afflicted our neighbours in Siaya District. The residents within and bordering the one-third of Yala Swamp in Budalang’i with a population of 19,239 know that they stand to lose if it is leased for 25 years to a private foreign investor.
We are not in Yala Swamp by choice. We have more than 45 villages, with homes, schools, health and shopping centres.
We suspect that deals may have been cut in this plan to alienate our land. As much as we want the promotion of farming by irrigation and the expansion of commercial farming, we are opposed to an investor who does not apply community-driven approach.
The people of Budalang’i prefer a project which aims at ending the perennial flooding and supports community-based projects with direct benefits to the locals. Success comes from not giving up on the journey. Plans are underway to lobby like-minded people to support a peaceful demonstration to be held on March 20, as a sign of solidarity to resist forceful eviction from Yala Swamp.
After extensive soul-searching and consultations in the area, our solemn plea to our local leaders and to President Kibaki is to reject the plan for the expansion of the Yala Swamp project by the American company.
This is the cry of the majority, who do not see how this project is going to benefit them.
LINUS OUMA OGONGO,
Budalang’i.
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Post by wanyee on Mar 22, 2007 23:24:54 GMT 3
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Post by wanyee on Mar 23, 2007 15:07:46 GMT 3
[Edited]
Last year I went to Kadenge, Ratuoro, Kanyaboli, Usenge and I noticed a lot of activity around Ratuoro by the Dominion Group. Peculiar was that they put a watchman to guard the public passage between Kadenge and Yimbo area. I asked myself for a while why and how a private company would be guarding and actually managing a public road. This d**e like passage is about 6m land and about 1 km in length hand Dominion farm is on bothsides which is lower than the road level. On both sides there is a gate level which the watchman raises when a car is coming. This is strange isn't it? But again, we're talking about Kenya, a country of strange contrasts. - James
---
Salt Firm Ordered to Open Road to Tourist Resort
Daily Nation
February 14, 2007
By Nation Correspondent, Nairobi
A salt manufacturing company has been ordered to open an access road to the tourist haven of Robinson Island near Malindi Town.
The only access road to the exclusive beach passes through the company's private land. Its closure has rendered the resort inaccessible to tourists and the local community, a Lands ministry official said.
Touring the area
In his report after touring the area, the secretary of the Malindi district planning liaison committee, which is a department of the Ministry of Lands and Settlement, Mr Swallah Fred, says the salt firm violated environmental regulations. The office of the district commissioner wrote to the the salt firm through the Malindi county council and ordered it to open the road, arguing that its blockage violated human rights.
The Constitution
"The access roads must be opened as the residents of Robinson Island demand their right of access road from you as enshrined in the Constitution," says a letter from the DC's office.
---
[More on the salt-mines in "the titanium issue"]
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Post by wanyee on Mar 23, 2007 17:09:48 GMT 3
Pardon me for posting this twice, but I believe that it is appropriate do so in this case: Deal too good for American firm Publication Date: 3/23/2007 A dispute is raging between Bondo and Siaya county councils on the ownership of Yala swamp, which has been leased out at a throwaway price to an American company, Dominion Foods. Whenever there is such a row between two or more parties, what comes to light is that there is inequality somewhere and one party is feeling deprived. Therefore, equity has to be seriously addressed in order to appease all the parties. On the Yala swamp issue, there is a deep-rooted conflict, which will explode if not resolved soon. That is the dispute between Bondo and Siaya county councils and Dominion Foods. The solution must take into account that socially, historically and economically the residents of Siaya and new Bondo county council are like brothers and sisters who have a common enemy. In determining who owns what, it is important if the agreement that was signed between Siaya council and Dominion Foods is subjected to scrutiny. This will reveal how we have given our land away in a manner akin to how our uneducated ancestors signed land away to the white settlers and slave owners in Mombasa in the 19th century. In the same vein, the Tiomin agreement should be made public so we see how we give land freely to foreigners at the expense of local investors. FELIX O. OKATCH, Nairobi www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=23&newsid=94287--- Refer to an article (DN, February 27), titled: “Yala Swamp firm to open new rice mill”. It baffled many area residents. Like their neighbours in Kadenge, Siaya District, the people of Budalang’i have never been consulted by the interested parties over the expansion of this project into their area. After villagers left their ancestral homes for the project, what followed was meagre compensation. The 25-year lease that Dominion was signed is a long period. The adverse effects should have been seriously considered. MACDONALD B MUKANGA Nairobi. |
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? Shame!
