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President Uhuru Kenyatta recently unveiled the freight service from Nairobi to Naivasha and the inland container depot. This is a move in line with the Big Four Agenda.
The President also unveiled a 1,000 acre industrial park. This will increase industrial jobs and ramp up production of goods that can be transported on the new railway.
Traders from neighbouring countries were initially concerned that they would be required to use the new line for the transport of their own goods. The president assuaged their concerns by letting them know that they were welcome to use any means of transportation they find suitable.
Truck drivers will not be pushed out of jobs in competition with the new rail line.
Instead, it will compliment the transport industry as Kenyan manufacturing grows and more goods need to be moved.
The inauguration of both the freight service and the industrial park reflect the long term thinking that is characteristic of a good leader.
As the old proverb goes, “he who eats an egg foregoes a future meal of chicken soup.”
One complaint against the freight service is that it is expensive, and that building a new industrial park costs too much money.
But if we choose to eat the egg now, we will just have a bite. We will not get to taste the whole meal of chicken soup later.
Renewing our manufacturing industry, which has historically not been Kenya’s strongest, is an integral investment in our country’s economic future.
The immediate outcome will be more job creation. Since employment rates are not as good as they can be, we have room for improvement.
The creation of this industrial park in Naivasha as well as others around the country will lead to more manufacturing jobs in rural locations across Kenya.
As a long term investment, transforming manufacturing into one of Kenya’s main industries will strengthen our economy for years to come.
Kenya is in need of this kind of visionary thinking, that extends far beyond what is needed in the present.
Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. The Vision 2030 goals lay out a plan for the next decade - this is a good start.
But what we need is an economic plan for the next century, to ensure that Kenya becomes a medium income country no longer ravaged by the scars of colonialism.
Creating financial stability is key to our progress. Despite being a leading country in East Africa, Kenya still remains one of the world’s poorest countries.
As the BBI points out, shared prosperity is one of the main problems we need to focus on as a country. As urban populations grow, so does the amount of people living in informal settlements.
High inequality has put us in a sort of economic deadlock whereby the wealthy become wealthier but at too high of a cost, and the economically disadvantaged remain in an unbreakable cycle of poverty.
This inequality is a fundamental cause of conflict in Kenyan society, and a major contributor to the disunity that is felt here too strongly.
Economic empowerment is shaped by gainful employment and the feeling of plenitude after an honest day’s work.
That is why Kenyatta administration programmes that invest in the manufacturing industry are a great solution to our economic woes. Increasing our exports, both to neighbouring countries and global trade partners further afield, are an all around win.
In November, the government committed to the construction of 35 new industrial parks.
From the recent census, our population is growing at a rapid rate - in part due to improved maternal healthcare and the decrease of infant mortality rates.
With the combination of new population growth and old problems of income inequality and low economic growth due to disunity, there is no better time than now to invest and plan out infrastructure that will last well into the future.
That has always been the purpose of the Big Four Agenda - let us not lose sight of our goals.
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