IS KISUMU CRAWLING BACK TO LIFE- PICTORIAL

[job]

Reforming the investment environment for Kisumu or anywhere else in Kenya, must be a priority by the GCG. Signs are showing that some reforms are being proposed towards attracting more investments.

It was good for the leadership (including the PM himself) to have heard from the investors themselves in the UK, US, Germany, Korea and other places about the real obstacles to doing business in Kenya, then embark on reforms. Lets hope these proposals see the light of the day.

www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/453508/-/item/0/-/kkt33h/-/index.html

I’m glad the Kenya Investment Authority has been given its own headquarters for a one-stop-shop, and branch offices opened in Mombasa and Kisumu. In June and July alone, it is reported that Kenya has received investor delegations from the United States, Netherlands and Germany. Even the Korea cell phone manufacturer LG, has announced plans to set up a Shs 7 billion plant in Kenya.

A quick look at the ‘Investing in the New Kenya’ initiative reveals a strategy on reinforcing Kenya’s role as a manufacturing and services hub for the regional market of East Africa.

A key part of this regional hub strategy is to encourage investment in Kisumu, which is a trading channel to Uganda and Tanzania. The govt must strive to create favourable investment environments across Kenya - to diversify economic opportunities. We shouldn't congest all ammenities in Nairobi.

But I can tell you that it is no easy task with numerous obstacles still standing in the way, and with some roads looking like this;



Bad Roads that scare away investments

[mimimzalendo]

central is wide awake. RV has awaken. Nyanza waking up. Somaliland NEP begins. Coast is on the verge. Where is eastern? where is western? where is nairobi?

www.nation.co.ke/magazines/smartcompany/-/1226/454998/-/view/printVersion/-/1b1h5/-/index.html

Kisumu’s big fish bait investors

By DANIEL OTIENO (email the author)
Posted Monday, August 11 2008 at 15:13

Kisumu, the lake-side city famed more for its Tilapia fish, found itself in the deep end of the political violence that hit the country after the December 27 general elections.

With most of the key establishments in town centre either burnt or vandalised, investors scampered for the exit, leaving a ghost town dominated by bicycle taxis and fish mongers.

Yet even as the brave ones trooped back after peace was restored late February, new investors remain skittish about betting their resources on Kenya’s third largest town.

Technocrats and leaders from the region, concerned that this investor apathy could slow down economic recovery, have created the Nyanza Economic Forum (NEF), held its first meeting last week, to mobilise investments to stimulate economic growth.

East African Community Permanent Secretary Mr David Nalo said the history of being shunned and the impact of the post-election violence should be used to inform the future. The two-day conference, which ended on Friday, identified potential investments and set up teams to mobilise financing for the various projects.

Among them are establishment of a banking institution, Rene Finance, and the Nyanza Farms Ltd to promote agriculture, beginning with the growing of mangoes and chilli. The farming unit is expected to diversify into other areas.

The other key recommendation was investment by locals in the sugar industry when the government privatises Miwani, Muhoroni and Chemelil sugar factories. Mumias Sugar Chief Executive Evans Kidero said the potential of the 200,000-acre Nyando sugar belt was such that it can bridge the national production deficit.

Low pay and infrastructure as well as cane fires and millers’ inefficiency have reduced farmers to a poor lot.

Privatisation of the millers has been in the spotlight with locals saying they have been given a row deal in the government divestitures.

The meeting also came on the backdrop of the proposed Sh20 billion Lake View Resort Project to be undertaken by Kenya Railways in partnership with German investors to create a tourism and economic centre.

The unexploited tourism potential of the region and the exploitation of fishery and irrigation also came up during the forum. The tourism sector, it was proposed, could benefit from the creation of floating hotels on Lake Victoria to blend accommodation and tours.

Fisheries minister Paul Otuoma said infrastructure should be improved to ease market access, backed by cooling facilities and, perhaps, a fish auction market.

He added that an expanded Kisumu Airport with direct flights would facilitate branding of fish products and promote aquaculture. But beyond the conference hall and intellectual diagnosis, the real work now lies on the ground.

As lawyer Patrick Lumumba put it: “Now is the time to cross the red sea of talk in to the Canaan of action.†

Rene Bank is still grappling with how to raise an estimated Sh120 million to start operations. Those behind initiative include Prime Minister Raila Odinga, ministers Anyang’ Nyong’o, Dalmas Otieno and Otieno Kajwang’ and a host of top corporate executives.

Kisumu Town East MP Mr Olago Aluoch said Asians should not be blamed for dominating business in Kisumu. “There are people from this region with the capacity to invest but have opted to seek other ventures because we have not made the environment conducive for business,† he said.

Public Service minister Dalmas Otieno cited poor leadership as one of the problems that had hindered development in the region. Participants heard that attempts by the professionals to initiate projects had been shot down by politicians.

A business incubation expert, Prof Atieno Ndede, said sustainability of some of the projects is key. “It is good to start projects,† he said, “but common sense dictates that we provide structures and roadmaps to allow them to survive.‛/quote]

[mimimzalendo]

why is this Kuria constituency (Machage is MP) soo poor yet for 45 years of kenya's history, it has always had its MP in the Cabinet?

www.eastandard.net/letters/InsidePage.php?id=1143990953&cid=17&

Leaders have forsaken Kuria District
Published on 26/07/2008

Kuria District is one of the most ignored districts. It lags behind in education and other development issues.

About 80 per cent of Kuria residents live below the poverty line and many households depend on tobacco farming as their main economic activity. The recent tobacco law that bans smoking in public places may affect tobacco farming, thus further impoverishing the community. Primary school registration, attendance and retention are unpredictable, especially for girls. Secondary-school attendance is worse. The Government should boost girl-child education in the district. The female cut has also undermined the education standards for girls who are married off after the rite.

Most youths have not been fully involved in educational programmes as they are engaged in clan fighting and cattle raids to defend their community’s interests.

Residents wonder whether the district is part of Kenya or the neighbouring Tanzania. The Government is insensitive to the plight of residents. The roads leading to the district headquarters are impassable, especially during the rain season. Tarmac roads are not available. The district is entirely served by murram roads and muddy pathways.

Most parts of the district have no electricity. This has adversely affected the living standards of residents, who require power to indulge in income generating activities like the Jua kali business and others commercial enterprises. Piped water is another dream as are many other services.

Debrah Ghati Mupusi,

Kuria.

[adongo23456]

Generally I like what I see on this Investment Conference and ideas.

There are two things that interest me more than others. One is the proposed Lake View Resort Project. It is a brilliant idea. The Kshs 20 billion capital requirement is a big challenge. The Germans are supposedly going to pump in some cash for this project. The trouble is the partnership with the Rift Valley Railways. May be that explains part of the reason the PM is trying to push the Rift Valley Railways to get their act together or lose the 25 year concession. Of the the bigger picture for the RVR is to meet their side of the bargain in providing efficient rail transport in Kenya. But I lke the Resort idea because it will spur a lot of other tourist centres and resort development in Nyanza and Western provinces. I personally have interest in that.

The second thing that caught my eye was this:

"12H30-13H00 MANGO PROCESSING and Value Addition for Increased Incomes
• Mr. Arshfod Njagi, Manager, GTZ—PSDA"

The key to any form of development in Nyanza lies with "value added" concept We cannot sell raw products and expect to get anywhere. Whether it is fruits, fish and other agricultural products.

The idea of mango processing has always intrugued me. My old man was a pioneer in fruit farming in the Bondo area. He planted mangoes, oranges, papayas and now my nephews are experimenting with passion fruit and a whole lot more. The old man did it to feed his family. He was a simple tailor and farmer and thought having fruits all over his farm would help him make sure that his kids never go hungry and boy did we even feast on papayas and mangoes. Sometimes we could sit on top of the trees and eat mango until our stomachs hurt.

Today the Bondo area in fact the entire Siaya, Bondo and Rarieda districts are awash with mangoes and other fruits just like many parts of Nyanza and Western provinces. When the fruit harvest season is on you can buy a sack of mangoes for 10 bucks. For the most part the fruits just rot and are thrown in the dumps which incidentally are the surest source of mango seedlings.

Last time I was home I was relieved to find fresh mango juice in the shops courtesy of an investor in Mombasa who had tapped into the abundance of mangoes in Mombasa to produce juice. The good news for me was that I could save myself from drinking those disgusting fruit colourings from Thika they peddle as juice. The fact that the mango juice from Mombasa was popular in a small town like Bondo told me it was a viable business.

Now just lust week I was shocked when my cousin told me that one of my uncles had cut down some of his huge mango trees to help him burn bricks for sale. That is insane. Right? But put yourself in the man's position. With a couple thousand bricks he would make a few thousand shillings and feed his family. That beats having huge mango trees in his land which for the most part are just shades for the neighbours goats. I had talked to these folks before and told them since we are now pretty much within the Bondo Municipality they need the trees and mainly fruits to enhance the value of their land and scare of the government from grabbing their land ati for public utility, the way Kilonzo wants to do in Kajiado. At one point they were going to build a jail in our lands but when the value was figured with literally hundreds of fruit trees and thousands of other trees the price was too high.

So while I wait to strangle my uncle as soon as I get home which I hope is soon the thing that crosses my mind is that a mango processing plant in the area would be great and anybody willing to take that risk and put money on such a project may end up generating a lot of money not just for themselves but for the communities as well.

Let me tell you another little ti bit. I visited a friend in Gem near my friend OO's home. In fact I popped in to see one of OO's uncles. You know the Kenyan style. You just show up at people's homes and the next thing you know the kids are chasing some kitchen across the compound and before you know it the feast is on. Anyway that is for later.

Anyway while there we visited a lady who had these gigantic avocado trees in her compound. The avacado trees were literally falling over with avacado fruits. The old lady told us she was just waiting for the transporter so he can harvest the avacado fruits and send them for sale in Nairobi. We asked her why her avocado trees were doing so well. She told us the trick. The woman retired to her farm after her husband died. They had all these avocado trees but they were not producing much fruit. So she decided to use organic homemade fertilizer from cow dung etc. She dug around the trees to fill them up with manure and after a year the trees went nuts producing too much avocado for the local market. Now she is supplying some markets in Nairobi.

Why do I tell you all these? Because a mango processing plant in Nyanza wherever it may be located will only succeed if we tell the mango tree owners that their trees are economic assets. They have to take care of them, use manure, fence them, plant more and harvest them at the right time. All that is very easy once people know the tree is a money maker. They will take care of them and plant more. But now they have little use for them so they pretty much grow like wild trees and the kids have more interest in them than those who planted. That is a fundamental logic of economics. People will only take care of what is of value to them.

So I say yeah, bring on the mango processing plants and I can say without a doubt that my beloved Bondo District will be at the fore front of supplying those mangoes.

Eventually the enterprenuer benefits, the communities benefit, the economy grows and everybody gets something. And that is just mangoes. Imagine what we can do with everything else. Not even the sky can be the limit. It is way beyond that.

adongo

[politicalmaniac]

Human urine is a great ferterlizer esp for starter plants - it has tons of Nitrogen
There was a program on teevee showing how the Indians in rural india use cow dung.
It was amazing as to how thier lives rotate around the sacred cows and the dung and milk.

[mimimzalendo]

Gentlemen,

we are engaged in a noble research project. your worthy contirbutions are welcomed.

kenya.rcbowen.com/talk/viewtopic.php?id=86106

Reseach Project- Is there a direct causal positive (or negative, neither or other) relationship over 30-yr period between a constituency's MP who is in CABINET and Reduction (official studied incidences) of Poverty levels?

[kingtut]

more pictures please