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Kenya Times, Kenya
Change policies on foreign aid
By Mundia Mundia Jnr
The Kenyan politicians and world donors should own up by taking
responsibility for not consulting Kenyans when they choose to agree to
overburden the country with the money that ends up suppressing the
citizenry. The IMF and World Bank policy-makers only hold political
paramountcy under the guise of helping to implement development
programmes. Their presence in the country only encourages national
fragmentation due to the coupling effect of neo-politics of economics.
Kenya, like Ethiopia, ought to renegotiate or phase out
foreign-financed projects and de-link their national and political
programmes from foreign donor funding. Unfortunately, many
politicians in and out of government unwittingly side with aid
agencies, for their own gains, to fleece wananchi and partially
destabilise the nation.
Politicians voluntarily create never ending constitutional,
politico-economic and electoral stalemates to give a chance to the
Western World and donors an opportunity to peg their economic demands
on Kenyans and the Government. Currently there is a major problem
affecting the Ministry of Health whereby less money is being spent on
the management of Tuberculosis especially in our unbalanced economic
set up as a result of massive poverty and misuse of resources.
Certainly, the political fatigue that Kenyans are facing is due to
lack of political will by politicians to even publish the Political
Parties Bill and the Witness Protection Bill that is meant to protect
whistle blowers. There would be some challenge as how John Githongo
would be treated by the same government that gave him placement. The
latter's case, which the World Bank and IMF are still concerned about
due to the involvement of the Anglo Leasing scandals is to help tackle
the cases as one of the conditionalities set by the foreign agencies.
Also, since the amendment of the Public Officers Ethics Act in May
2004 nothing much has bore fruits.
Kenya's major donor, the World Bank, that has vested political
interests (though it denies) and wananchi are desperate now and in the
coming months as we approach the 2007 general election for robust
steps to be taken in the fight against gross corruption. With
efficiency of politicians on such matters, Kenyans have to adapt to
new ways of financing their programmes.
Instead of allowing the two to enhance spending money on wasteful
blanket projects and hiring expensive foreign technical experts, we
should capitalise on our locally acquired knowhow to safeguard our
people.
Western aid is perceived by many as the ultimate panacea for Kenya's
challenges, including political. This aid only mutates with time from
the economic target to a more politically resistant manoeuvre for
neocolonialism. Many foreign investors through the support of locally
registered foreign agencies have invaded our society in order to
ensure they subsidise their Western businesses locally with massive
profits taken back to their homeland. Foreign criminals have taken
advantage of this hospitality loophole. The Armenian case is one in
many where wicked `business personalities' who come at the pretext of
being foreign investors, are allowed by government operatives to
illegally enrich themselves through elitist thuggery and manage to
escape criminal responsibility.
We will never fight corruption which backtracks our economy when such
is allowed in our systems of governance or else the `good governance'
talk would only be a fancy strategy of opportunism to deceive locals
and indirectly enrich the Western World culprits.
Exit deceit, enter the World Bank and IMF strategies. Economic
inequalities on aid donors that provide donor funds are yet to be
exposed due to political interference mainly because their vested
political and economic interests primarily dupe parliamentarians with
elusive pipe dream projects for the nation under the guise of
sponsoring superior financial assistance and development. Another
scheme by aid agencies is that foreign policies are formulated to
ensure Western taxpayers foot the bill of many disastrous projects
worldwide including famine relief, hurricane funds, finances for
fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS, corruption and political conflicts. These
even worsen lives of the affected recipients due to prescriptions of
unrealistic conditionalities that only favour such institutions.
Has Kenya uplifted the life expectancy of its citizens, decreased
HIV/AIDS epidemic, reduced infant mortality and promoted literacy with
such aid assistance?
World Bank and IMF through the Ministry of Education have cleverly
made Kenyans believe that primary education is `free'. This beats
logic in that the government through the taxpayer's money and some
from the donors is used to foot the education bill nationally.
It is more of a political tool of deceit than economic. If not I
stand to wonder if the 5.8% growth rate is being used by politicians
to impress the Western world, cushion the slow pace of fighting
corruption or are politicians telling Kenyans that government is
seriously collecting all its taxes to the coffers.
Thus, matter of factly, the World Bank and IMF need to showcase their
economic efficiency to the locals instead of professionally sit on our
pressing poverty and further fleece our skeletal economy.
The locals should be involved in collective policy making and resource
management on what affects us most and have aid agencies as partial
sponsors and economic instructors.
Generic necessities Our interethnic and political harmony depend
heavily on our own political continuance of locally-based economic
prosperity and not to pander to the whims of the political class, IMF,
World Bank, NGOs and other foreign agencies.
Change policies on foreign aid
By Mundia Mundia Jnr
The Kenyan politicians and world donors should own up by taking
responsibility for not consulting Kenyans when they choose to agree to
overburden the country with the money that ends up suppressing the
citizenry. The IMF and World Bank policy-makers only hold political
paramountcy under the guise of helping to implement development
programmes. Their presence in the country only encourages national
fragmentation due to the coupling effect of neo-politics of economics.
Kenya, like Ethiopia, ought to renegotiate or phase out
foreign-financed projects and de-link their national and political
programmes from foreign donor funding. Unfortunately, many
politicians in and out of government unwittingly side with aid
agencies, for their own gains, to fleece wananchi and partially
destabilise the nation.
Politicians voluntarily create never ending constitutional,
politico-economic and electoral stalemates to give a chance to the
Western World and donors an opportunity to peg their economic demands
on Kenyans and the Government. Currently there is a major problem
affecting the Ministry of Health whereby less money is being spent on
the management of Tuberculosis especially in our unbalanced economic
set up as a result of massive poverty and misuse of resources.
Certainly, the political fatigue that Kenyans are facing is due to
lack of political will by politicians to even publish the Political
Parties Bill and the Witness Protection Bill that is meant to protect
whistle blowers. There would be some challenge as how John Githongo
would be treated by the same government that gave him placement. The
latter's case, which the World Bank and IMF are still concerned about
due to the involvement of the Anglo Leasing scandals is to help tackle
the cases as one of the conditionalities set by the foreign agencies.
Also, since the amendment of the Public Officers Ethics Act in May
2004 nothing much has bore fruits.
Kenya's major donor, the World Bank, that has vested political
interests (though it denies) and wananchi are desperate now and in the
coming months as we approach the 2007 general election for robust
steps to be taken in the fight against gross corruption. With
efficiency of politicians on such matters, Kenyans have to adapt to
new ways of financing their programmes.
Instead of allowing the two to enhance spending money on wasteful
blanket projects and hiring expensive foreign technical experts, we
should capitalise on our locally acquired knowhow to safeguard our
people.
Western aid is perceived by many as the ultimate panacea for Kenya's
challenges, including political. This aid only mutates with time from
the economic target to a more politically resistant manoeuvre for
neocolonialism. Many foreign investors through the support of locally
registered foreign agencies have invaded our society in order to
ensure they subsidise their Western businesses locally with massive
profits taken back to their homeland. Foreign criminals have taken
advantage of this hospitality loophole. The Armenian case is one in
many where wicked `business personalities' who come at the pretext of
being foreign investors, are allowed by government operatives to
illegally enrich themselves through elitist thuggery and manage to
escape criminal responsibility.
We will never fight corruption which backtracks our economy when such
is allowed in our systems of governance or else the `good governance'
talk would only be a fancy strategy of opportunism to deceive locals
and indirectly enrich the Western World culprits.
Exit deceit, enter the World Bank and IMF strategies. Economic
inequalities on aid donors that provide donor funds are yet to be
exposed due to political interference mainly because their vested
political and economic interests primarily dupe parliamentarians with
elusive pipe dream projects for the nation under the guise of
sponsoring superior financial assistance and development. Another
scheme by aid agencies is that foreign policies are formulated to
ensure Western taxpayers foot the bill of many disastrous projects
worldwide including famine relief, hurricane funds, finances for
fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS, corruption and political conflicts. These
even worsen lives of the affected recipients due to prescriptions of
unrealistic conditionalities that only favour such institutions.
Has Kenya uplifted the life expectancy of its citizens, decreased
HIV/AIDS epidemic, reduced infant mortality and promoted literacy with
such aid assistance?
World Bank and IMF through the Ministry of Education have cleverly
made Kenyans believe that primary education is `free'. This beats
logic in that the government through the taxpayer's money and some
from the donors is used to foot the education bill nationally.
It is more of a political tool of deceit than economic. If not I
stand to wonder if the 5.8% growth rate is being used by politicians
to impress the Western world, cushion the slow pace of fighting
corruption or are politicians telling Kenyans that government is
seriously collecting all its taxes to the coffers.
Thus, matter of factly, the World Bank and IMF need to showcase their
economic efficiency to the locals instead of professionally sit on our
pressing poverty and further fleece our skeletal economy.
The locals should be involved in collective policy making and resource
management on what affects us most and have aid agencies as partial
sponsors and economic instructors.
Generic necessities Our interethnic and political harmony depend
heavily on our own political continuance of locally-based economic
prosperity and not to pander to the whims of the political class, IMF,
World Bank, NGOs and other foreign agencies.