The Low Hanging Fruit

This is another very sensible approach to Baringo's development. Basically, it says we concentrate our investments on sectors or areas that will yield quick results. When Kenya attained independence, this is the method that informed our development process. Much focus was put on the highlands, the cities and the regions already served by the existing infrastructure especially roads and the railway. This would result in rapid growth in the targeted sectors, accompanied by a population explosion in the areas that benefited from this.

On the downside, it resulted in marginalization of the lowlands and the northern frontier district areas, leading to inequalities that continue to destabilize the social fabric of the nation. It encourages people to migrate to the "high potential" areas, thereby preventing the pursuit of good opportunities in the “low potential” areas through the deprivation of human capital. It is sustainable only in the short term.

Baringo happens to straddle the frontier between the high potential and the low potential areas. Much of the current debate on where to locate the county headquarters has to do with this mentality – that some areas will be neglected if the headquarters are in the current “high” potential area, rather than the more central “marginal” areas. It would only be proper for the leadership to insist on equitable development for all regions and all sectors of the economy.

The same scenario is repeated when you consider resource distribution among sectors. It is very reasonable that the county government shall consider heavy investments in water and agriculture. Unfortunately, today’s young generation will want to engage in media and entertainment rather than livestock and agriculture. As much as we put resources for irrigation development, we must also support the upcoming sectors e.g. ICT, energy, healthcare, education and financial services – because this can yield high returns eventually.

Development is sustainable only when it is fairly distributed among the regions, between the generations, among the classes and among the various sectors of interest to the people of Baringo.