We have been hearing constantly on the news about 5% economic growth rate in Kenya for the last decade, but i am tempted to question this economic growth rate. Is there any benefit if the economy grows by 5% or more and yet we are not seeing many people being lifted out of poverty. We are not also seeing the number of jobless people reducing in terms of percentage of the population. The number of people who live in slums have yet to reduced and instead has stagnated over the period, the number of people having access to basic needs such as clean water has not improved as much. In addition we still suffer the effects of starvation due to droughts. What does this tell about the economic model we are pursuing as a country. Is it really working? if it cannot lift people out of poverty and create jobs at all. Why should we continue with such model of economic development? Most of the youths who finish university cannot find jobs or even struggle to establish businesses and end up being hawkers in order to survive. Does this portend well for the country in the future? I think the Kenyan leaders have no any vision at all and are not patriotic. They are just doing guess work. They have got no plans, policies that can be used to grow the economy and at the same time ensuring that many people get employed and lifted out of poverty. Its really sad to see these things in this country and when you look around, there is no hope because majority if not all of the current leaders are clueless completely. They talk about manufacturing while still allowing cheap mitumba imports to destroy the textile industries, they talk about buy kenya build kenya, and that is about govt purchasing only police uniforms from local industries? what is this nonesense? What kind of industry do they want Kenya to excel in? I guess no idea, What are some of the policies and strategies put forward to attain this? none at all. Hii country i am also almost agreeing with the guys who said “iuzwe kila mtu apatiwe share ya pesa na tujisort polepole”
Economic Growth vs Economic Development. Growth is there, Kenya is churning $ millionaire everyday. Where we have stagnated, and retrogressing is in Economic Development, a good indicator on this is how well a country is doing on infant mortality rate.
At the end of the day you are to blame because you will tick Ruto instead of Kivutha Kibwana and then come here and start complaining as usual. Chaguo ni lako.
The gap is widening. Few rich becoming richer.
It’s a K-shaped model of growth. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer. It’s not unique to Kenya only even in the US very few people can say the economy works for them. I watch a lot of YouTube videos about finance, watu wanaumia kweli. I wonder where this all leads to because it’s no fun watching others work so hard with minimal returns.
Economic growth should be balanced by sustainable population growth. If the economy grows but the population grows faster, then your simply running in circles.
But, all in all, Kenya is growing, and it will stay growing if all goes well. But, the thing is, becoming a developed country takes time. It will not happen in ten years, or even twenty, but thirty+ years.
Seychelles, Mauritius, and Cape Verde are my best bet for countries in Africa that will be the first to hit developed status. Then maybe followed by Morrocco, Tunisia, Botswana…then Algeria, Namibia, South Africa…etc
The likes of Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ivory Coast, and the rest are still far off, way far off…post 2050. I could be wrong though, and these countries become developed quicker, but China is not yet a developed country even with their red hot economic growth of the past 30 years…
So yeah it will take decades of strong economic growth to reach developed status.
Next time, space your sentences in paragraphs. It’s easier to read that way.
Mimi ile development nimeona ni wale watu wakona pesa wanaendelea kupata zaidi.
Middle-class wanaumia lakini hawataki kusema.
Peasants kama kawaida wembe ni ure ure.
Infrustructure is beefing but the people are growing more ignorant by day.
Much of it is agriculture-based. If there is a drought, it will decline to below 3%
Pop growth is key. It should be enhanced and not reduced. Stop with the scarcity mentality. Even at 100m pop. Kenya iko na enuff resources for the pop.
Langat uko na valid points
I always say that Karl Max was right. Capitalism is a scam.
Big up @Regis2812 developing the people ndio the only true development hio yote ingine should come next.
I was just about to post this! Beat me to it! We took up capitalism and still go on with capitalism not realizing that it simply wasn’t meant for us
The first question ( not to you) is what economic model? Is it stated somewhere, discussed somewhere? We pretty much run on autopilot. Politicians are head of Ministries. What do you expect?
100%. There’s no escaping consequences of voting like eediots.
communism sympathisers thread
Detroit has roads, water, electricity why the poverty?
China is building all these infrastructure including massive cities yet the ordinary mwananchi in China can’t afford to live in those cities, explain that.
Why aren’t Kenyans feeling the direct effects of the SGR? We were told that the SGR would start changing lives immediately, immediate direct impact, why hasn’t that happened?
An insane $5 billion was pumped into the SGR why hasn’t that money uprooted a few million Kenyans out of extreme poverty?
The bypass that was built through Kibera why hasn’t it changed lives if infrastructure is the true life changing remedy ???
Remember they pumped billions into Galana Kulalu infrastructure large scale farming as well as NYS and yet none of them have changed poor Kenyans lives for the better!
Lets say I vote Kivutha Kibwana… What are chances that he will win? You know how thongs operate in Kenya… The village and slum voters who are the majority decide who becomes the president and you and I know who they will likely vote. Lets avoid utopian mentality which we both know cannot happen in the next election in Kenya. My vote won’t change anything whether i vote kibwana or whoever. The same case applies to you. Anyway,lets just be ready drink this water of kenyans ignorance