Discoveries of oil and minerals will spur growth

 

By  Harrison Mwirigi Ikunda

Recent discoveries of oil in Turkana and Garissa by foreign oil companies and other optimistic results similarly elsewhere in the country add to the impetus that Kenya is promising in more than the traditional successes recorded in exports in agriculture and other traditionally lucrative sectors of tourism which is also greatly under tapped.

There are many fronts that Kenya can be or is competitive including business processes outsourcing, financial services, ICT and the manufacturing at least for the regional countries.

Now add to this the recent discoveries of lucrative minerals that include titanium and more recently the discovery of deposits of rare earth deposits valued over Sh5.3 trillion in the county of Kwale in Mrima hill.

This just to mention the few amongst other mineral promises being discovered is an indication that the potential of oil and minerals is immense.

Kenya has been one of the most promising economies in Africa alongside South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria despite being a non-precious commodity economy.

Most of the other well likely to do economies in Africa has either been oil or mineral resourceful, economies. Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the most resource rich countries in the world has only suffered the curse of too much natural resource with politics gone awry for a long time.

Luckily Kenya had not discovered her potential in natural resources early enough, probably part of reasons that it has escaped to a significant extent the mess in African and third world politics.

Politics

Yet still Kenya has suffered her share of bad politics and too many missed opportunities but in recent years, she has galvanised herself to feel that it can make to the league of developed nations.

Infrastructure and telecommunication developments in recent years are some signs of a country developing right capacity for economic take off. But her politics remain backward.

The more we change the more the country seems to remain the same politically. There are fears that the culture of political corruption, tribal hegemony and some level of dictatorship seem to gain momentum.

Devolution that was hailed as part of the solution to years of unequal development has seen plenty of abuse in various counties with governors running roughshod.

Generally speaking the practice of politics is still beset with many handicaps, with self-aggrandizement and controlling of competitors creating worries. Much still we are yet to overcome the demons of tribalism if what research shows is anything to go by