Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania are often
hailed as Africa’s success stories. But Kenya is never left too far behind.
Consistently, we have exhibited hope and positive prospects. Huge development
opportunities abound. Our challenges persist.
A relatively well-educated youthful population,
expansion of access to education and huge investment in infrastructure present
great opportunities. Intractable poverty, growing inequality and ethnic discord
pose the greatest challenge to our progress. These are challenges of our own
making. And only we can and must resolve them.
Reducing inequality is perhaps Kenya’s
single most critical challenge and, it is integral to delivering shared
prosperity. According to the New World Wealth 2014 report, 8,300 people or 0.02
percent own about 62 percent of the country’s wealth. It is estimated that the poorest 10 percent of
receive only two percent of the national income.
The emergence of extreme wealth among
the African elite, after independence, was driven by systematic and sustained
political in which personal interests of politicians, their families and
lackeys influence state decisions and abuse office for personal business and
financial gains. Things have not changed. The stakes just got higher, with new
opportunities through large infrastructure and public sector service deals.
Regional inequalities are equally
stark. These inequalities map neatly along ethnic, and political cleavages.
Geography, as expressed by natural endowments – rainfall, temperature,
vegetation and soils – exerts a huge influence on livelihood options. The
inequalities also track the footprint of the commercial and administrative
interests of the British colonists.
In counties like Wajir, Mandera and Turkana
poverty rates are above 80 percent. Maternal mortality in Mandera is 3795 per
100,000 live births; giving birth is death sentence. In Turkana County, a
skilled birth attendant delivers less than 25 percent of babies. At 227 deaths
per 1,000 live births, Siaya County has the highest child mortality in the
World. The country with the highest child mortality in the world has 156 deaths
per 1,000 live births.
Devolved governments, working in
partnership with the national government must double down and grapple with the
challenge of creating shared prosperity. Citizens at the county level must now
begin to ask questions about public spending priorities. Their voices, backed
up by their taxes must count. Government, national or county must be about
service equitable service delivery.
While the big project investments are
critical, the household level and especially the role of women is vital to
stimulating and driving shared prosperity. We must pay attention to women,
increasing their participation in education, training, business, leadership and
employment. The minimum acceptable level of women participation must be parity.
It is estimated that less than 30 percent of those earning formal employment
wages are women. And even the few women in formal employment don’t receive
equal pay for equal work compared to their male counterparts
Moreover, we have to take of the
shackles of culture and tradition. Issues around property rights and assets for
rural women must be attended to urgently. Women must have unfettered access to
productive assets.
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