|
|
Post by destiny on Oct 28, 2011 13:51:58 GMT 3
After spending billions on Thika Rd, Gava now plans to spend millions of shillings (figures always double in the end!) on upgrading these two airports despite them being merely 30 miles apart. Mmmm! I smell a rat.... A civil engineer with the Kenya Airports Authority, Mr Raphael Mukui, said works for the Nyeri airstrip will include extending the runway by 350 metres and widening it by eight metres to accommodate bigger aircraft in preparation for its expansion to an airport in future."" allafrica.com/stories/201008270020.html |
|
|
|
Post by kamalet on Oct 28, 2011 14:42:56 GMT 3
After spending billions on Thika Rd, Gava now plans to spend millions of shillings (figures always double in the end!) on upgrading these two airports despite them being merely 30 miles apart. Mmmm! I smell a rat.... A civil engineer with the Kenya Airports Authority, Mr Raphael Mukui, said works for the Nyeri airstrip will include extending the runway by 350 metres and widening it by eight metres to accommodate bigger aircraft in preparation for its expansion to an airport in future."" allafrica.com/stories/201008270020.htmlPerhaps you should check your facts. Using the C73 road, the distance between Nyeri and Embu is 92 kilometres (57.5 miles) and using the C74 the distance is 74.6 kilometres (46.6 Miles). As you smell a rat, how about Kakamega airport which would be 51.4 Kilometres (32.13 miles!!!) away from Kisumu International airport? Unfortunately the point you want to make gets lost when the details do not match :-( |
|
|
|
Post by destiny on Oct 28, 2011 14:48:07 GMT 3
|
|
|
|
Post by destiny on Oct 28, 2011 14:51:51 GMT 3
Actually by smelling a rat, I was wondering whether these are our immediate needs as a nation when masses are starving in Turkana and security is sooooo bad in our cities and our borders. Are the so many airports we have being fully utilised or someone just want a conduit to make big bucks?
|
|
|
|
Post by kamalet on Oct 28, 2011 15:10:10 GMT 3
|
|
|
|
Post by phil on Oct 28, 2011 16:26:29 GMT 3
There's a huge difference between an AIRPORT and and AIRSTRIP.
Kakamega is an Airstrip which in present condition has already attracted daily commercial flights by an independent operator known as Fly540. I am not saying Nyeri and Embu cannot do this, only that they have not.
Let's be reasonable.
For instance, would be easier and practical for a businessman living in Runda Nairobi to drive up to Nyeri directly from Runda using the new Thika Super Highway (1.5hrs) or would make more sense for the business person to drive to JKIA from Runda (at least 1.5 hrs) , then catch a flight to Nyeri (0.5 hrs), the connect to his/her village (0.5hrs)? The same would apply to a horticultural farmer from Karatina or a Miraa farmer in Nyambene hills. Would they rather load a truck and drive directly to JKIA via the bypass or wait for a twice a week flight coming to some white elephant - without any cold storage facilities - known as Nyeri / Embu Airport?
Kisumu Airport serves the Western region, including Uganda, parts of Northern Tanzania, Southern Sudan.
|
|
|
|
Post by kamalet on Oct 28, 2011 16:32:12 GMT 3
There's a huge difference between an AIRPORT and and AIRSTRIP. Kakamega is an Airstrip which in present condition has already attracted daily commercial flights by an independent operator known as Fly540. I am not saying Nyeri and Embu cannot do this, only that they have not. Let's be reasonable. For instance, would be easier and practical for a businessman living in Runda Nairobi to drive up to Nyeri directly from Runda using the new Thika Super Highway (1.5hrs) or would make more sense for the business person to drive to JKIA from Runda (at least 1.5 hrs) , then catch a flight to Nyeri (0.5 hrs), the connect to his/her village (0.5hrs)? The same would apply to a horticultural farmer from Karatina or a Miraa farmer in Nyambene hills. Would they rather load a truck and drive directly to JKIA via the bypass or wait for a twice a week flight coming to some white elephant - without any cold storage facilities - known as Nyeri / Embu Airport? Kisumu Airport serves the Western region, including Uganda, parts of Northern Tanzania, Southern Sudan. You are being too simplistic! I think you would a total idiot to take a flight to Nyeri from Wilson unless you have more than you know how to spend. It is not any different to an idiot taking a flight from Kakamega airport to Kisumu airport!! But have you for a moment considered the possibility of flying from Embu to Kisumu or Kakamega? Would that not save the Embu fellow the trip to Nairobi? There are so many reasons why this makes sense that I would not even bother explaining to you! |
|
|
|
Post by phil on Oct 28, 2011 16:48:15 GMT 3
You are being too simplistic! I think you would a total idiot to take a flight to Nyeri from Wilson unless you have more than you know how to spend. It is not any different to an idiot taking a flight from Kakamega airport to Kisumu airport!! But have you for a moment considered the possibility of flying from Embu to Kisumu or Kakamega? Would that not save the Embu fellow the trip to Nairobi? There are so many reasons why this makes sense that I would not even bother explaining to you! If I was to make that into consideration, in a country as poor as Kenya, then I would really wonder what our priorities are and who the true idiots are in allocating national resources fairly and with good justification for our long term interests. Kenyans are dying (yes dying) of hunger or preventable diseases, while other kids do not go to school and the majority that do go to school lack comfortable classrooms, books and teachers. Why would there be priority in investing billions in rehabilitating airports with close proximity to Nairobi's JKIA and Wilson, yet we have other pressing and certainly more justifiable reasons to spend these limited resources on? Now we know the shameless idiots. Thank you Kamale. |
|
|
|
Post by job on Oct 28, 2011 17:43:54 GMT 3
After spending billions on Thika Rd, Gava now plans to spend millions of shillings (figures always double in the end!) on upgrading these two airports despite them being merely 30 miles apart. Mmmm! I smell a rat.... A civil engineer with the Kenya Airports Authority, Mr Raphael Mukui, said works for the Nyeri airstrip will include extending the runway by 350 metres and widening it by eight metres to accommodate bigger aircraft in preparation for its expansion to an airport in future."" allafrica.com/stories/201008270020.htmlConsider these tenders as mere opportunities for milking taxpayers. The Kenya Airports Authority just wants to dole out free muthendi to their cronies...no real upgrades are being envisioned here....just real kick-backs. Remember that Vision 2030 is actually Vision-loot-quickly for some folks. The best venues to play such chicanery is where to expect the least amount of noise (complaints) from the Airport's neighborhood. |
|
|
|
Post by kamalet on Oct 28, 2011 17:48:51 GMT 3
You are being too simplistic! I think you would a total idiot to take a flight to Nyeri from Wilson unless you have more than you know how to spend. It is not any different to an idiot taking a flight from Kakamega airport to Kisumu airport!! But have you for a moment considered the possibility of flying from Embu to Kisumu or Kakamega? Would that not save the Embu fellow the trip to Nairobi? There are so many reasons why this makes sense that I would not even bother explaining to you! If I was to make that into consideration, in a country as poor as Kenya, then I would really wonder what our priorities are and who the true idiots are in allocating national resources fairly and with good justification for our long term interests. Kenyans are dying (yes dying) of hunger or preventable diseases, while other kids do not go to school and the majority that do go to school lack comfortable classrooms, books and teachers. Why would there be priority in investing billions in rehabilitating airports with close proximity to Nairobi's JKIA and Wilson, yet we have other pressing and certainly more justifiable reasons to spend these limited resources on? Now we know the shameless idiots. Thank you Kamale. Phil, This is how poor this country is and how they do their air travel in Kenya. Excluding all local operators, here are the results from KQ: The highest seat kilometre boost during the period under review was registered in the domestic front, with the capacity growing by 35.4 per cent compared to same period last year largely due to launch of Mombasa Shuttle and re-introduction of Malindi flights.
According to operating results of the national carrier for the second quarter ended September 30, Kisumu registered a 28.6 per cent growth in capacity through increased frequencies. The route has an average of 20 flights per week.www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000045696&cid=14&j=&m=&d= |
|
|
|
Post by enigma on Oct 28, 2011 17:51:54 GMT 3
The website destiny has used uses a very simplistic algorithm ie straight line from point A to point B.
Note the following disclaimer on the link:
Things like Forests, Seas, Deserts, Rivers and Mountains will impact on these estimates, so please dont take these distances literally for driving.
Anyway, I digress. I think Kakamega as the second biggest county deserves an immediate upgrade to the airstrip.
|
|
|
|
Post by destiny on Oct 28, 2011 18:13:10 GMT 3
Bearing in mind Nyeri and Embu are just a stone throw apart, how about constructing one swankier and bigger airport between the two towns? I hope that would be more economical and sensible instead of having two airports for one community. Oh, I forgot: someone has to EAT!
N/B Embus are simply Kiuks with a bad accent as someone once told me.
|
|
|
|
Post by hunter on Oct 28, 2011 18:53:06 GMT 3
There's a huge difference between an AIRPORT and and AIRSTRIP. Kakamega is an Airstrip which in present condition has already attracted daily commercial flights by an independent operator known as Fly540. I am not saying Nyeri and Embu cannot do this, only that they have not. Let's be reasonable. For instance, would be easier and practical for a businessman living in Runda Nairobi to drive up to Nyeri directly from Runda using the new Thika Super Highway (1.5hrs) or would make more sense for the business person to drive to JKIA from Runda (at least 1.5 hrs) , then catch a flight to Nyeri (0.5 hrs), the connect to his/her village (0.5hrs)? The same would apply to a horticultural farmer from Karatina or a Miraa farmer in Nyambene hills. Would they rather load a truck and drive directly to JKIA via the bypass or wait for a twice a week flight coming to some white elephant - without any cold storage facilities - known as Nyeri / Embu Airport? Kisumu Airport serves the Western region, including Uganda, parts of Northern Tanzania, Southern Sudan. The gov't should have diverted the money they want to use to other pressing issues. Before you think I am against the upgrading of this two airstrips or whatever you want to call them, lets look at their economical value. Will they be of any value since the two towns are just afew our to JKIA and Wilson And taking into account that they will not have a capacity to handle cargo planes? So what is the thinking behind the rush to upgrade them when we know very well that they will mostly be idle. As far as the Kibaki Administration economic and infrastructural development is the most "discriminative" ever seen in Kenya. Most of the infrustructural developments tend to go toward the former Central province at the expence of the other regions. A case in hand is the ongoing slum electrification project in Nyeri town funded by the WB. Why Nyeri and not the other major towns with huge slums. The road by -passes too are majorly concentrated in the region and not to mention Thika road project which I think should have been taken to Mombasa RD. Others like the vehicle essembling plant in Thika, the KU Teaching and R hospital and now the upgrading of Nyeri and Embu airstrips among other projects. A closs look at them only point out one thing. The Kibaki inner circle is unjustly giving some counties a headstart at the expense of the other region and in this I am with Abdinasir Abdulhai. Call me Al-Shabaab if you so wish. |
|
|
|
Post by justfacts on Oct 28, 2011 20:33:50 GMT 3
Dr Mazrui talked about this when he said of we are a collection of ‘tribal nations’ (people with common history, language and culture) residing under the state (boundary of authority) of Kenya. We fight hard to get ‘our man’ into the state house so that he/she can skew tax revenue collected from entire state in favour of our ‘tribal nation’.
Abdulnasir introduced an alternative name for it- ‘developmental corruption’ where because money is not plainly going into a few people pockets then there is no talk of corruption in the traditional sense. He gave the example of Thika road and opined that economic sense of improving the Nairobi Mombasa highway was simply outweighed by desire to reward the ‘GEMA nation by the incumbency out of collective tax basket of the state.
This developmental corruption is the driving force of our politics and the need by politicians to have one candidate for their region (who is quickly installed tribal elder) so that they gunner the numbers needed to manage state funds and are expected to loot it in a clean and perfect crime that no audit will ever be commissioned about.
It is this type of corruption that informs the phobia of domination of smaller tribes by big ones (and they come no bigger than the GEMA nation) and the majimbo and secession talk at the coast. After all if we lack enough numbers to play this game of getting our man on the house on the hill then why not focus on ensuring our taxes remain on their territory?
|
|
|
|
Post by phil on Oct 28, 2011 22:19:59 GMT 3
Phil, This is how poor this country is and how they do their air travel in Kenya. Excluding all local operators, here are the results from KQ: The highest seat kilometre boost during the period under review was registered in the domestic front, with the capacity growing by 35.4 per cent compared to same period last year largely due to launch of Mombasa Shuttle and re-introduction of Malindi flights.
According to operating results of the national carrier for the second quarter ended September 30, Kisumu registered a 28.6 per cent growth in capacity through increased frequencies. The route has an average of 20 flights per week.www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000045696&cid=14&j=&m=&d=Bw Kamale Are you suggesting that government allocates national resourses on basis of commercial interests of a private airline whose bottom line is mostly dependant on foreign travellers. Perhaps we ought to get statistics from KTB justifying how airports in Embu and Nyeri will consolidate local tourism and help in wealth creation in those areas. 10+ Years after Eldoret Int Airport was forced on us by William Rutos of this world for 'benefit of horticultural farmers in the North Rift', even tiny and isolated Lokichogio is doing better in terms of contribution to the exchequer, while Eldoret is best known for tax evasion and smuggling of contraband. Lets be reasonable for once. |
|
|
|
Post by Fahari on Oct 28, 2011 22:52:02 GMT 3
N/B Embus are simply Kiuks with a bad accent as someone once told me. Destiny, Why would you stoop so low? Why insult an entire community? Perhaps you don't realise that your statement reeks of ethnic jingoism at its most pungent!!! |
|
|
|
Post by subsaharanite on Oct 28, 2011 23:47:39 GMT 3
Lets assume Nyeri and Embu need these airports. Assume that they get upgraded to accommodate bigger planes.
Lets then ask ourselves the following questions;
Is it economically viable to operate a commercial flight between lets say Embu or Nyeri to Nbi or Kisumu or Eldoret?
If there is, what would be the major reasons why these passengers would want to fly in these routes?
Can you compare these airports to lets say Kakamega or Lodwar that are scheduled to be upgraded in the near future?
Lets project these questions to 2030. Assume then that Kakamega and Lodwar airports shall have been upgraded.
Its no doubt that resource allocation is totally skewed and has become arguably augmented in the current regime. Its absurd that the Airport authority has to make these decisions, a body whose top leadership are specifically selected to serve certain interests. Perhaps Parliament should vote on this.
We have seen the Thika highway built, even though everyone feels other important highways would have received the funding. I don't know if many of you remember during the last budget when UK allocated some funds to Kenya railways for upgrade of the line. Then he instructively allocated some more specifically for upgrading of the Nbi- Thika Railway line. Its as if this particular route is not within the Kenya railway line system. There are other developments going on that are totally geared towards central province.
People within central province maybe happy that they are finally benefiting from resource allocation. As such, central province especially areas close to Nbi are rapidly urbanizing.
What they are forgetting is that this is robbing them of their land and slowly turning them into squatters within these urban landscapes. The government does not realize that its encouraging change in land use within central province.
All the coffee farms are turning into ugly concrete jungles, with narrow streets owned by people not necessarily native to those areas, noise pollution, Mungiki menace etc. The next generation of central people may not even have small land to inherit from their parents. Its a worrisome trend that the Kibaki government does not seem to notice.
As they build superhighways and super citadels in their fore- fathers fertile land, they are forgetting their future generations. Watajipanga, maybe that is what they hope.
In the next few years, parts of Central province will be swallowed by Nbi, or vice versa where ethnic lines will be minimized. It would be difficult for the kikuyu to claim their land. Although, some may argue that rapid development within central or towards central province is benefiting its residents, in the long term its turning a Nairobi food basket into a concrete jungle.
Besides the rift valley where we get most of our carbohydrates, central is Nairobi's vegetable garden. We will need to carry our Jembes and walk a little further in order to get some sukuma wiki. Industries that depend on agricultural produce from central like UK's Brookside will have to relocate to some other regions.
These investments that we are preferentially allocated to central province would come to haunt us at a later date. If you look at major western countries, Urban regions have been carefully selected to avoid regions that are economically favorable for agricultural production. These regions are preserved over many generations and at times, farmers are paid to let them just sit idle for environmental reasons.
I fault the Kibaki government for not fostering the expansion of Nairobi towards drier areas like neighboring Ukambani and Maasai where land is in plenty and often idle. Some may argue these areas are far from the city but with roads similar to Thika highway, people would take less than 20 minutes to arrive at the city. The kibaki government has also failed to relocate or divert major investments into other towns. As such, any new player wishing to invest in Kenya wants to have their manufacturing done in Nairobi, increasing the population pressure and the ills and challenges that come with it. The Thika Highway and developing a more reliable railways Thika-Nbi railway, is beckoning future home owners to make Central Province their home. Hence initiatives like Tatu. Even other investors would look towards that direction.
Kibaki, an economist surely knows what is needed for Kenya, but has chosen to be engulfed into his ethnic fabric. He may have done this as a last resort given that its only central that stood by him four years ago. Nyeri and Embu may get their economic inoculation injections in form of airports, we do not know whether the prick would develop into wound that would spread throughout their lands.
|
|
|
|
Post by njambaa on Oct 29, 2011 22:42:34 GMT 3
I have always said central province still remains the number 1 if not 2 source of revenue for the goverment still remain a major employer,still remain the number one food producer The number one list is endless,,am actually mad they are upgrading those two airports,what is needed is heathrow or Hartsville size of an airport in Nyeri.
|
|
|
|
Post by kamalet on Oct 30, 2011 6:31:12 GMT 3
Phil, This is how poor this country is and how they do their air travel in Kenya. Excluding all local operators, here are the results from KQ: The highest seat kilometre boost during the period under review was registered in the domestic front, with the capacity growing by 35.4 per cent compared to same period last year largely due to launch of Mombasa Shuttle and re-introduction of Malindi flights.
According to operating results of the national carrier for the second quarter ended September 30, Kisumu registered a 28.6 per cent growth in capacity through increased frequencies. The route has an average of 20 flights per week.www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000045696&cid=14&j=&m=&d=Bw Kamale Are you suggesting that government allocates national resourses on basis of commercial interests of a private airline whose bottom line is mostly dependant on foreign travellers. Perhaps we ought to get statistics from KTB justifying how airports in Embu and Nyeri will consolidate local tourism and help in wealth creation in those areas. 10+ Years after Eldoret Int Airport was forced on us by William Rutos of this world for 'benefit of horticultural farmers in the North Rift', even tiny and isolated Lokichogio is doing better in terms of contribution to the exchequer, while Eldoret is best known for tax evasion and smuggling of contraband. Lets be reasonable for once. Phil You still are being very simplistic!! The airport in Eldoret may not have been viable in 1993 when it was built but that does not mean it is unnecessary. The only problem was that it was a political white elephant which would have been built in 2020 and made a lot of sense! I could start criticising the sense in upgrading Kisumu airport into an international airport - especially when you consider it handles no international flights and eve on the local front it perhaps only manages 4 commercial fights a day. But I do not because there is sense in having a large airport in the reqion. There is tak of building an international airport in Nakuru but this will mainly be seen as a diversion airport where passengers can be bussed into the city when there are problems at JKIA rather than the pesent situation where flights are diverted to Mombasa and Dar and they are stranded out there until JKIA opens. Is this a sensible investment? Again it depends on the scale of priorities but it would be sensible if we had money to spare. |
|
hk
New Member
Posts: 5
|
Post by hk on Oct 30, 2011 9:17:39 GMT 3
I don't know where on the priority list the two airports fall but I know there's a need for flights connection from massai mara and the coast to mount kenya region. Tour operators always shuttle tourist by road from other destinations to mount kenya region. I am sure if they're upgraded traffic shall follow. Hell FLY540 has flights to meru park on a weekly bases.
|
|
kevoh
Junior Member
Posts: 51
|
Post by kevoh on Oct 30, 2011 10:50:41 GMT 3
I don't know where on the priority list the two airports fall but I know there's a need for flights connection from massai mara and the coast to mount kenya region. Tour operators always shuttle tourist by road from other destinations to mount kenya region. I am sure if they're upgraded traffic shall follow. Hell FLY540 has flights to meru park on a weekly bases. If I was the city planner I would build a fast rail line and highway from Kiserian to Kitengela. The tourists and the animals will be moved north and a new well planned Nairobi North decided upon in the large area. Tourists are good for the economy but we should consider our selves first. |
|
|
|
Post by jakaswanga on Oct 30, 2011 12:39:30 GMT 3
If I was the city planner I would build a fast rail line and highway from Kiserian to Kitengela. The tourists and the animals will be moved north and a new well planned Nairobi North decided upon in the large area. Tourists are good for the economy but we should consider our selves first. Well put and to the point. I can only expand on it because I have the time now! This [] is a certain development model. That puts air transport internally, as a priority over rail transport. From the 2030 vision as constructed by this school, Kenya is ripe for all these airports, and the private chopper owners may also need local parking places for their birds.  I oppose this model, because I remember the same school of economists in the 60s and 70s, advicing African countries not to invest in Agriculture, because there was already enough cheap food on the world market. Indeed the EEC [now EU], Canada and the United States, were capable of feeding the whole world over and over again, and they did not want a food glut, leading to even lower prices. The idea was, it would be cheaper to buy food from the world market, than to grow it yourself. Which was simply streamlining Africa to serve their commercial interests. Countries like India and China followed another path. Their economists reasoned: apart from giving the West a monopoly on daily bread, which would be a national strategic mistake, all industrialisation to date seemed to have stemmed from Agriculture; and the technologies of large-scale agro-production and industro-agro processing, formed the basis for even a further division of labour and higher technological specialisations. All an infra-structure for [home-grown] technological take-off. Massive investment in Agriculture would also be an absorber of readily available semi-skilled labour pool. But heeding the other school, Nigeria with her oil money did not develop any River Niger Agricultural Authority, Mobutu did not put any agro-dam on the Congo for massive irrigation, and Zambia was all eggs in one copper basket. Today, every state fund, from Qatar to Bangladesh to Korea, is gobbling up land in Africa to produce food, for commerce! Of course these airports make sense from that economic school of thought, but I would rather go with the alternative school. Where KEVOH comes from. This is the school which says Treat your Railway system like it is your primary transport. Let it do all the heavy haulage, and most of the intercity commuting. Go for light-rail [tram] transport system in your cities, making them economically the better option to private car and traffic jam time waste. How do you move 3 million people living in a 40kmx40km area within the same [Nairobi] area in 2hours, with each commuter not taking more than 40 minutes to reach anywhere whithin? [between 6-8 am as they go to work, and between 5-7pm as they head home, the so called rush hours.] Subway [Underground] being too expensive.I have been checking a few transport solutions here, most of them built when it was the steamship age, but upgraded to high-tech high-speed rail networks. The real problem is the power, the electricity. Must be uninterrupted, continuous and steady. I think electro-power is the first priority in Kenya. Small airports and strips should be left to private capital, like those who own choppers! Oh Kibaki, my eyes open when I travel, and I really do not rate you any higher than rotten Mobutu. Go to Gbadolite now, and see the forests reclaim airports and palaces, and frogs enjoy once olympic-class swimming pools! But you are running a model alright! I also liked the argument put foward by others here, that the Mombasa Malava/Busia highway should have been priority over all else, even the Thika highway, as an economic artery. We are the biggest economy in this region. We have goods to ship out! not to mention making Mombasa port more hot. |
|
hk
New Member
Posts: 5
|
Post by hk on Oct 30, 2011 12:55:36 GMT 3
I believe the light railway system is being constructed from Isinya to nairobi, limuru, ruiru etc to nairobi. Mombasa malava highway, the biggest bottleneck on the highway was nairobi and already the bypasses are almost complete. Mombasa port inefficiency is the biggest hurdle to reduce cost of moving goods from mombasa to uganda .
|
|
|
|
Post by jakaswanga on Oct 30, 2011 13:02:36 GMT 3
I believe the light railway system is being constructed from Isinya to nairobi, limuru, ruiru etc to nairobi. Mombasa malava highway, the biggest bottleneck on the highway was nairobi and already the bypasses are almost complete. Mombasa port inefficiency is the biggest hurdle to reduce cost of moving goods from mombasa to uganda . I would love to hear the railway line to Isiolo is also in the upgrade plan. Last time I was on the Nanyuki-Kiganjo-Nairobi road, it was a colonial relic. |
|
|
|
Post by subsaharanite on Oct 30, 2011 14:53:32 GMT 3
Those who keep on peddling lies that central province is the number one resource contributor to our economy should read reports on who is really keeping Kenya afloat. Nairobi accounts for 65 percent of the total GDP, The coast is next followed by the rift valley, central lies fourth. You can also look at it from a different point of view.
In terms of industries, tourism accounts for 63% of our GDP. Central province is not known for its tourist attraction features, its known for its food production. Thats why Nairobi Mombasa and the Rift Valley that have major scenic features, a key ingredient for a vibrant tourism industry are ahead of central.
There are several reports from worldbank, UNEP, UN and FAO that you can find online as an attestation. Agriculture which central prides itself on accounts for a mere 21% of our GDP although it supports over 75% of our population and has remained the same for several decades. So many of these 'rich' central inhabitants are busy toiling their shambas as we speak.
Industries account for about 15% of our GDP and most of them, particularly those in central are agricultural based, whose performance is in tandem with agricultural production. If they have no raw materials, they go down. We are already seeing a stiff competition in the coffee industries wherein millers are stealing coffee from each other within central. There just isn't enough coffee to sell since it has been uprooted to give way for houses. Some of these millers will have to fold up and go.
However, central happens to have the lowest percentage of its population below the poverty line ~ 30 percent. This has remained so for over three decades and has been very stable. The twist however is that whereas other regions had over 80% of their population in abject poverty at the dawn of our independence, the rate at which this has reduced is far much higher than in central, an implication that they will finally catch up and possibly surpass central in few decades to come.
On another note, air transport is not necessarily the fastest way to move around especially for short distances. I would prefer to drive from Nairobi to Nyeri or Embu rather than spend 2 hours on the road from the city center to the airport, another 1.5 hours at the airport, only to fly for 45 minutes before I reach my destination and spend another 30 minutes to go through stupid customs before I am allowed to take an expensive tax for another 30 minutes in order to get to Nyeri town. Helicopters too do not need an airport. They can sleep or dock anywhere, lets not confuse. people.
|
|
