If you feel a news story does not measure up to expected journalistic standards, bring it to the Journalism Dry Cleaner. Through our collective wisdom, we will strip it of all offensive dirt.

REAL TIME VISITORS

LIVE STATS

BLOG GUESTS

Wednesday 27 July 2011

DROUGHT & HUNGER IN KENYA: BLAME YOUR LOCAL LEADER





Drought. Famine. Hunger. Starvation. Death. These sequence of events has become irritatingly too familiar in Kenya. And yet many lives still end up being at risk, with some actually succumbing. During this crisis, I just can't help but wonder how any elected leader manages to get any sleep at night.



But is it a tad too convenient to point an accusing finger at leaders? Hell no. This dire situation and how to overcome it is exactly what true leadership is all about, if not preventing it from occurring in the first place.

Is there really an acute food shortage, arising out of a severe drought, erratic weather, massive crop failure or other circumstances beyond human control? Why am I not convinced.

When it rains, you here stories of flooding, hardly any of rain harvesting. When the harvest is bumper, you here a lot about produce price wars and very little about improving post-harvest practices or construction of new storage facilities.

Again, I'm mot convinced past, the current and a future similar crisis could not and cannot be averted.

Appropriate policy formulation and long-term planning, a decade plus into the 21st Century is achievable, even in Kenya.

Below is a sample of the coverage of the current drought crisis and reactions from the mainstream and social media.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Albert, I have gotten inured to this replay of a macabre reality show. Indeed, the whole regimen of donating every year to feed communities up in the north is immoral. That is the legacy of skewed development. Since independence, successive governments have never set up facilitative infrastructure to facilitate trade. Food is a national security pillar; and like security, requires logistical and infrastructural stratagems. There is no point in giving 10/-, 100/-, 1,000/-, not even 5m/- only to turn attention away from one as an individual. we simply are buying peace with our own consciences. The failing of government are failings of the nation. We build eight-lane highways in one province, but have no dispensary in some Districts larger than the smallest five provinces combined. I will not donate, and I will not blame. It is my fault as a tribalist and false moralist.

Anonymous said...

It's a wake up call to all the Kenyan people that it's not leaders that we elect but self centred individuals who think about themselves & how many mipango ya kados & planes they are going to get or buy. As president Kibaki exits, he should just leave with the whole bunch & leave us with performers of the likes of Michukis & Balalas. We are tired & its upon us Kenyans to make this change, we should not blame anyone for this, its us & we should fix the problem. Am going to...God bless Kenya.

Anonymous said...

This is indeed a sorry state of our motherland. Wrong policies, too much politicking and misplaced priorities.When will this country be a place for all?

Grace Ndichu said...

The Principals should use their brains well! If only they would have drilled bore holes in these places the situation would not be this bad. Ok let Kenyans feed the hungry at this moment which they have already started. Kindly advice them to use that 9billion they have set aside to drill boreholes. I wish we can vote all of them out tukae bila Goverment. I'M BITTER!!! A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE TO ALL

Anonymous said...

This is totally rubbish we have to blame ourselves for this we have countries which experience no rainfall in a year yet food is in abundant supply while in kenya we can feed turkana people who are located less than 50 km from the plantations in rift valley we cant irrigate / provide means for irrigation for garissa residents in which river tana is passing in the middle of the town . so which kind of independence are we talking about in kenya . bure kabisa

Anonymous said...

THIS COUNTRY IS EXPERIENCING,POOR MANAGEMENT, POOR PLANNING, POOR ALLOCATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOURCES AND FUNDS.POOR FORECASTING OR IGNORANCE TO OUR FORECASTING RESULTS. FOR HOW LONG IS THIS COUNTRY GOING TO BEG. FOR HOW LONG ARE THE PEOPLE OF KENYA GOING TO CRY AND DIE? WHEN SHALL WE EVER HAVE LEADERS WHO ARE FAIR JUST AND NOT GREEDY, WHEN SHALL WE EVER HAVE LEADERS WHOM WE SHALL ALWAYS SAYS" THIS IS A LEADER WHO DESERVE OUR VOTE" HOW MANY TIMES ARE KENYANS GOING TO REGRET CASTING THEIR VOTE TO A LEADER, WHEN SHALL KENYANS SAY. WHEN SHALL WE EVER HAVE LEADERS FULLY UTILIZE ALL THE FUNDS ALLOCATED TO THEM EFFECTIVELY WITHOUT TAKING A SINGLE CENT. WHEN SHALL WE EVER HEAR A LEADER PUNISHED THOROUGHLY FOR NOT USING OR FOR MISPLACING FUNDS ALLOCATED TO THEM FOR CERTAIN USE? IF ONLY OUR LEADERS HAD ONE THING IN COMMON, UNITY AND FAITHFUL TO THEIR PROMISES, THIS COUNTRY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING WHAT WE ARE GONG THROUGH. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE BUDGET? BECAUSE IF THE BUDGET IS USUALLY FOLLOWED THEN I DON'T SEE THE REASON WHY KENYA SHOULD BE EXPERIENCING SUCH KIND OF HUNGER !