Taita-Taveta could arguably be the richest region in the country. With more than half its land under the wildlife parks of Tsavo East and West generating billions of shillings in annual revenues for the tourism industry. It’s a region rich in mineral resources that have seen a few turn into billionaires. Yet its people still languish in poverty, missing even the most basic of all human requirements.
Farming even for subsistence is a problem. The region which falls under the semi arid zones receives some of the least levels of rainfall in the country. When the rains fall, wild animals from the parks lay in wait for the little that the residents have managed to plant. This is in addition to the security threat posed to people’s lives by the same animals. Compensation is only considered when there is loss of human life and in many cases, it’s not forthcoming.
Levels of education have always been wanting. High dropout rates have for a long time been experienced mainly as a result of poverty. Lack of credible tertiary institutions within the region have played a part heightening this situation as access to quality education is barred by distance and associated costs. The opening of a new campus for Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Voi was welcomed with high expectations; it may take time before any positive effects are felt as the situation is still the same.
‘Poor infrastructure’ as a term can be used to describe the region. Other than the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, the whole region boasts of only 40km stretch of narrow tarmac which is currently filled with potholes. The region’s potential arising from its proximity to the Tanzanian border is highly unexploited. The only road leading to the border has been in a poor state and promises to construct it have never been kept.
Yet leaders come and go, leaving little to talk about other than their inability to improve the status of their people. We remain a laughing stock to the whole country as we have resources that have done more harm than good to us. Who will stand up for this group of forgotten people....? Forgotten until the next election.
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15 comments:
Hey , I totally agree with your line of thinking coz if nobody says or does anything, Taita taveta will get worse and worse due to exploitation and global warming(causing fighting for food between humans and the wildlife).
I suggest a few things beginning with my favourite..
1: Politics:
I believe if one is in politics , one is in a better position to improve the lives of the constituents, because you can use that position to talk out your ideas which would have otherwise not been given a chance.
I would not imagine any better candidate than you or Vickie but I also don't know any other guys from there, but my idea is we have to take up the positions to get the change we want to see. So don't wait for anyone else to improve the area than yourself.
2.
Marketing and settling in the area.
I would think of other areas in Kenya which are worse off and don't have as much resources. I think that the whole of Kenya would develop faster if we concentrated on other areas outside Nairobi, and I know infrastructure is a big setback but Taita Taveta is close to the coast which has better connections. I think if people diversified a bit we would have restaurants and lodges, or something completely new, like the.. i have no idea right now.. but we tend to do the things that we know will work, something that has been done before and therefore kill innovation.
3: De-marginalise the region..
refer to my point number one, otherwise organise a revolution , people to walk and demonstrate against the ruling class to spread the national cake to all the other areas which are still within our bounderies.
4:next time
Caroline Njuguna.
4.Education
Even laws are not on our side. Local authorities in Narok are managing their own resources there including the wildlife reserves. I wonder why it cant happen in Taita. Miners take everything and dont leave a dime even for the environmental mess they have done. If a small portion of all revenues from a region would be pumped back to the same region, we wouldnt be having this conversation.
Hey, I get you , but in Narok they also really fought for it.Plus they had this deal they signed with the colonialists.. you remember the 99 yrs land lease? and just when it expired The AG and Kibaki government decided it read 999 yrs? But they had connections with NGO's fighting for human rights, and distribution of resources, some were expelled from Kenya thanks to kina chris murungaru.Start such an NGO, and write to CIDA, Action AID, etc..But what you are doing right now might as well be the beginning and end of an era.If people in Taita don't speak out, no one will speak for them. It is sad, but thats where the politicians come in, but ones from the Coast region are trying so hard not to be sidelined by the mafias so the sleep on job or kiss *#%.
Yeah, its starts from somewhere....., essentially this is what should happen anyway. Its unfortunate as we sit and wait for the government to divide this national cake and all we get are bread crumbs as the real loaf is only enjoyed by a few individual through some shady deals.... If we are able to get our share before then, then we will be able to do one or two beneficial things.......
Its unfortunate that we dont have fighters in our area. The few, the likes of Mwandawiro Mghanga and Mashengu Mwachofi just faded in the thin air, the rest either dont care or are just there so they could earn their salaries and live their lives.
this is a great one Tairo..thumbs up!!
Taita is for sure a forgotten region. you have touched on almost all aspects but i may just add a few lines..
Things have just been the same in many taita regions for rather too long..given the rate at which technology is growing one would wonder why this place is lagging behind.
the roads would have been the biggest priority for the political leaders in this region because they link and network taita with other places and most important Tanzania..think of how people could be able to do business and those already trying to do how they could make their businesses grow if at all the roads were in good condition.
the number of tourists would also hike given the good scenaries in taita,the wild parks,and the Taita hills.
Electricity is also a big challenge,not very many homesteads know how important this precious commodity is because they have never imagined that one day they will stop using hurricane lamps and candles..and from this ..great academic scorers are expected..how??
Taita is indeed a forgotten region..its high time the people of Kenya heard the cry of this minority group..but i bet it has to start with you and me...
Patience, the last time i time i talked to Mr. Ngoma, he just had been visited by a herd of elephants the previous night and was complaining about the maize he struggled so hard to irrigate, it was all gone. Thats the same all over.
And the electricity......, not forgetting the roads, you just said it all................
I agree with you Martin... but we are partly to blame.
Taita's we have an attitude someone has to fight for us, it's time we stopped depending on politicians and outsiders to solve our issues. It's true being in politics, ur in a better position to defend the rights of your people but in most cases the politicians have failed us with their empty promises.
Our mineral sources are being exploited and we get nothing in return. Most people, around this mines(Kamtonga, Mwachabo...), are languishing in poverty while a few enrich themselves. No one is coming up to defend the rights of these people.
The parks, take an example the one around our place- The locals are not benefiting anything in terms of CSR. The elephants keep on destroying our crops and yet the residents just keep quiet...maybe waiting for someone to come speak out for them.
So Martin, its us forgetting Taita. No one is to improve the area other than ourselves.
I tend to think that there are sometimes children of lesser gods......... that is the only explanation that would make sense!! With what I watch on the news everyday? the poverty everywhere?
However Martin, it does not take a political seat, a fancy car, loads of money or whatever else your MP has. What have you done for your people? Civil education? Empowerment? Okay so you got the education, what good has it brought to your people? You could wait on the rains but that doesn't mean you do not eat!! Obama did it he got out there and started to work; he'd have waited for the politicians but he did not!!
Mnjala..., you are right. Its us only who can only improve our welfare and as Anneliese has pointed out, we have to get out and do it ourselves, not wait for the politicians. What we can do, even without the politicians, lets do it.
However, those that require laws to be changed, like issues of mining, fall squarely in the hands of politicians. As they sit in parliament voting for policies crafted by others, they forget their own. Why cant they lobby other parliamentarians to support them in these issues as they affect their people the most....? I guess thats what we sent them to do in parliament.......
Yea! I believe no one is ever interested in builing this region,taita is as well full of brains there are great business men/successful guys,leave alone polititians. who have the capability to question these politians on matters of regional developments, but no one is ever interested in such an act.such a sesnsitive responsibility is a burden to the village people who dont even know the aspect of budgeting. everything including things like public funds ie CDF Funds to them is non sense.you'll find them in a meeting just because the so called mweshimiwa has called them but not to give out sound ideas.. you'll never find any smart guy in there.so politians get a chance to exploit all the resources in the hands of the weak. its high time we go back and defend our title against these polititians or else our land is gone! nowonder how rich it is!
Mmm...That is the statement of the problem...what of the solutions?Workable ones?
1)We cannot go to parliament to change the laws to suit us for now...maybe after 4 yrs..
2)There is a high chance that we will be recycling the same idiotic leaders we have now.reason being,the poverty levels are sustained by them,so as they do have people who worship them for msaada..It is a way of survival for African leaders..making your subjects wholly dependent on you.
Here is what i think of,and what i do,to make a small contribution.
I believe the best way to change this trend is by starting to mold those within the formative years,i.e children and young high school kids into a certain way of thinking.Most of those kids do lack role models who can show them there is more to life than Voi and EPZs in Mombasa!!
How do you do that?
1)Go to your neighboring school.Be available to them..talk to them..give them hope in working hard and absconding on their daily mbangara doses.
2)It wont make you poorer if you offer some Ksh 500 to the number ones of class 6,7 and 8..Buy some presents and kuwa mgeni wa heshima.The kids will be seeing people to relate success with and hence change of attitude.
As much as we shall complain of our leaders and politicians,but do we ask ourselves,what do we do in our own small way?
2)
i second Allan Maseghe, take the initative, dont expect nairobians to come and make the taita tavetans rich. kutaka ni bure kupata ndio kazi.
Martin, you and others like you that seem enlightened should take the first initiative to educate the rest who are back home. It starts from creating awareness. You do not need any resources except yourself to do this. Visit home every now and then and talk to people, they will listen to you. The rest will fall in place at the right time...
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