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BY LUKE KAPCHANGA DN/ BUNGOMA 21/8/2008 COMMENTARY.
On August 15th , two functions were simultaneously held in Bungoma, whose purpose was to spur economic development of the people.
One function at the Kenya Industrial Estate, within Bungoma town, which was to be presided over by deputy prime minister and minister for trade , Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta had the initiative focusing on Micro and Small Enterprises.
The other held at Mabanga Farmers training centre, to be presided over by minister for Agriculture Mr. William Ruto, was a framers field day.
Both ministers failed to turn up, for the official opening and in there places delegated junior ministry officials .
The functions turned out to be very low keyed even local MPs did not attend or sent apologies.
Mr. Kenyatta was to launch the Bungoma district Business solution centre, which is to serve as a one-stop-shop for businesses.
The centre is expected to provide a number of business services to the youths and any other individual or groups , taking up self-employment within the micro-and small enterprises sector.
The initiative is aimed at ensuring that businesses in the area flourish to create more employment especially among the youths.
The
District Business Solution Centre(DBSC), is to provide among such
services as :business skills and entrepreneurship development;
identification of potential business
opportunities ; provision of facilities for business services ;
information on potential markets , investments and technology;
development of incubations in support of micro and small enterprises;
avenue for accessing financial services and development of rural markets
and linkages.
On
the other part, the farmers field day at Mabanga , was the only
opportunity the local people can access new developments in the farming
sector after the closure of the Harambe Agriculture show, when its land
was grabbed by mainly politicians.
More
so for the sugar cane farmers, the occasion was to meet the minister
and ask him in person questions regarding the collapsing Nzoia sugar
company.
Currently
private sugar cane harvesters are supplying cane to upto Kibos in
Kisumu, Lubao, and west Kenya factories in Kakamega ,at throw away
prices.
Most
of the agricultural produce has no markets and government interventions
, when available in assisting farmers mostly on fertilizer normally
comes late.
The
planting season for maize in Bungoma starts in March , and whenever the
minister for agriculture announces reprieve is around May or June,
indicating that the people here feel abandoned by government programmes.
What beats logic is the failure by elected leaders to attend the two meetings and also mobilize the residents to come in big numbers .
Another
worry is how comes two senior ministers arrange to come and then fail
at the same time, pointing out that possibly local leaders did not
approve of their coming.
Leaders
from Bungoma, including the minister of foreign affairs Moses
Wetangula, assistant ministers Bifwoli Wakoli and Alfred Khangati and
MPs Alfred Sambu and David Eseli and nominated MP and Ford-K chairman
Musikari Kombo ; are people one could be impressed as development
conscious .
More so, Kombo and Wakoli have declared presidential ambitions.
But
when they deliberately refuse to mobilize their foot soldiers for a
noble cause of economic empowerment , then truly what intentions do they
have?
Bungoma
is in the category of the Millennium district, implying that its
poverty level is high, so one thinks the politics should be about
improvement of living standards.
But
this actions by elected leaders is a clear statement that government
services coming from people they perceive as political enemies are not
encouraged.
Since 1992, when
Bungoma voted almost to the man against retired president Moi, a
mistaken believe has been created that until one of their own occupies
state house no meaningful development will ever take place.
That
stupid notion has created room for the local people to put politics
ahead of development . making them to loose opportunities.
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