#Opinion LETS US PURSUE LASTING VISIONS By Arap Teya-Kipchang For any county to experience growth, it must lay a solid foundation for her people. Such a foundation will form the basis for investment which will translate to jobs and ultimately, economic growth. With economic growth, we can stamp out poverty. In our county, we see patches of work by our Governor and other elected officials. But rarely do we see actions that will have a lasting impact. Mostly, our elected always issue promises for things they aspire to do. But rarely do you see them embark on something solid that will make a lasting impact. You would think they have a solid grand plan. I am talking about things like: 1. Pushing for other countries like Israel to come and boost our irrigation system. We can do it the Machakos way. Give them land, which if they help initiate irrigation schemes, and we cans share on a 50/50 for a period of say 20years. They should also guarantee that they will be a market of the products they produce in these irrigated areas. If they agree, we will expand Marigat irrigation schemes, Irrigate Kerio Valley, Emining and Mogotio areas and all other areas that need to be utilized. This will translate to jobs and will make our county vibrant! With such an agreement, we offer our products to them and other countries in exchange for development projects like building roads in our county. 2. We can also push to repair our existing schools as we also build libraries where there are none. Our children must be given a solid foundation so that they can go out to the world and fight for us. We must also Market the existing vocational schools, and universities in Baringo county. This will ultimately translate into revenue for our businesses and county government since the students who will come and study in our schools live in our rental houses, buy from our business, use county services and more. 3. Kirdam has water that is sufficient to reach all of Kabarnet town and its environs. Kerio Valley can also benefit from this piped water because delivery to Kerio valley will happen easily due to gravity. Other expansion should include Chemosusu water project and more. Failure to provide safe drinking water is a fatal mistake for any government. Safe drinking water is vital for home use, small scale farming. Yes, empower our people with this simple/very basic item! 4. Tourism: Baringo County has a unique topography. This is great for sight seeing and other forms of tourism. Market Lake Bogora and Lake Baringo National parks. Build fitting tourism hotels and places where our people and visitors can go and have fun. Buy and refurbish Kabarnet Hotel. Partner with Sinkoro Hotel and other Hotels in Eldama Ravine and around so that our tourists will have a place to stay when they visit. It is shameful to have no world class hotel in Baringo County and yet we go around begging for tourists to come to our county. What we lack is the ability to brainstorm and vision out what it will mean to build a great county. Without a road-map and a plan on how to achieve certain objectives, all else will not matter. Education, schools, water, roads, electricity, tourism and proper marketing is all we need. Please let us brainstorm in our inner county cabinet rooms about ways to improve our county. Let us not wake up each morning and do what they day has presented to us. That would be so archaic and improper in this day and time.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:49:23 +0000
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