Aid as bribery: We are not Beggars Do Mumias’ sugarcane farmers deserve Aid? A typical sugar cane farmer in Western Kenya will lease out an acre of cane at Ksh 30,000 for 3 harvests (6 – 8 years). Such action is taken to address urgent concerns such as school fees, medical bills, and food. On average, an acre of cane will earn one an estimated Ksh 50,000 per harvest; a “donor” who “helps” such a farmer to address his urgent needs fetches a cool Ksh 120,000 in 3 harvests. Such a donor may benefit even more if he chooses to utilize the lease hold to generate capital for his other businesses through commercial loans. Our farmer remains in a cycle of urgent needs! Mr. Asman Osieko (Head Teacher, Mumias Boys Muslim High School) and a Western Kenya native came up with an innovative way to save farmers. Says Mr. Osieko, “I figured out that parents who genuinely wanted to take their children to school were loosing out to unscrupulous business people every year, I and my staff came up with Irrevocable Forms for Mumias Sugar Company that enable the company to act as a guarantor and pay fees directly to school once the harvests have been made.” Parents maintain control of their resource (cane) and are able to utilize the surplus earnings in developing other aspects of their lives. What lessons does Mumias farmer’s scenario have for Africans who believe in aid and debt relief?(James Shikwati)
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 13:01:22 +0000
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