[goigoi]

You have explained it as it is. The crux of the matter lies in what you have alluded to. We have technocrats, we have very educated civil service and private sector. Better than some of the developed countries ( I stand to be corrected- there are very few Countries with so many professors, Doctors, Masters holders as members of parliament or as permanent secretaries).

Our problem has been in standing firm on serious home grown solutions. When somebody in Harvard/MIT/Chicago or whatever comes with an experimental Blue Print, our technocrats accept it. Even when those bringing the ideas are of inferior qualification than us. Then before you know it, the Ministry of Planning jump into " joint project" with a twinkle of an eye,documents are signed in the glare of TV and the money is released to implement new but otherwise flawed ideas.

When the World Bank Introduced cost sharing and encouraged scrapping of extension service, the European Union was busy increasing farm subsidies and education bursaries. In UK they were introducing boom for 17 year olds to encourage them go on studying instead of dropping out to do drugs and sex as most of them do ( yes, they get 50 pounds a week if they go on studying, if they don't want, they are free to claim unemployed credit upto 70 pound a week). While they told us to scrap boom, UK graduates get loans which they can only pay back if they earn more than 15,000 pounds a year. They pay 3,000 pounds a year as fees, International students pay 10-13,000 pounds a year on average.

As for farmers if their crops fail, they get paid, if the international market is bad they get paid. If their cows are killed because of an epidemic, they get official compensation. Teenagers getting pregnant are free to apply for Free housing and child support and they do get. The list is long.

My argument is that we have had people in Government who implement anything given by the west. We dont look at our circumstances, and initiate our own solutions.
Do you think if we had a good president, a president who can sit for 3 hours arguing with a minister as to why we are doing this and not that, things will change???????????????

[Sankara]

eh, i see guys have unleashed the textbooks,lol. Mmeamua kuelemisha raia kweli, kweli.

I agree with realistik dreamer. I believe the biggest problem in kenya comes in the 'strategy and implementation' phase. There is an argument known as 'best practice vs fit-for-purpose'. In best practice, it basically means that a certain methodology (even if unproven) is suited to be applied anywhere anytime. In fit-for-purpose, it means that a certain methodology is only suited for certain circumstances and must be customized first before it is implemented.

In kenya, all too sadly, many of our strategies are 'best practice'. I cringe everytime i see in the papers: '.........as has been practiced in the UK'. Africa will never advance if we employ many of the fundamental strategies in place in the west. Now I might sound pro-keynesian but at times protectionist policies might be the way to go forward for many a case in africa. Every day we see western leaders lambasting africa for govt control of every sector, but we forget that in the west, there are elements of that. For instance here in the UK, farm subsides indirectly ensure that imports from other countries will be more expensive. This also prevents dumping. Yet kenya is repeatedly told to open up its economy.........oh, the irony!!

However, i believe in kenya, the govt has failed in many sectors. one of this is garbage collection and handling (which is supposed to be handled by local govt.) If the govt can povide landfills and suitable end ways to manage the waste, the private companies (which are btw already operating) can focus on garbage collection.......simple case of private-public partnership.

btw goigoi, i think those uni jamaas earn £30 per week. What i find funny is how thursday is the only day you'll see chavs, yobs and rude bwoys waking up early - they gotta hit up the post office and collect their benefit cheques,lol.