Poverty and illiteracy Coast’s scourge

PHOTO | GIDEON MAUNDU | FILE Pupils at Ganjoni Primary School in Mombasa County study on July 22, 2013.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• Ipsos released a survey report on the Coast region showing that 41 per cent of the population there have not completed primary education
• 55 per cent of the coastals earn less than Sh10,000 per month

By GABRIEL DOLAN
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President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the Kenya@50 celebrations with more reserve than jubilation. There is much to celebrate but a lot to be done.

His father Jomo continuously warned that illiteracy, poverty and disease were the greatest challenges of the young nation. Regrettably, many parts of the country are still bedevilled by the same triple ailments.

Last week Ipsos released a survey report on the Coast region showing that 41 per cent of the population there have not completed primary education. That figure rises to 50 per cent in Tana River and Lamu counties.

That shocking statistic brings a raw soberness to Jubilee chest thumping and demonstrates how the free primary education (FPE), Nyayo milk, bursaries and a variety of other incentives have failed to lift the Coastal population out of illiteracy and poverty.

A mere one third of the region has education beyond primary level and only 7 per cent have studied beyond secondary level.

The report, based on 45-minute interviews with over 3,100 households, paints a very bleak picture of the region’s human development indicators and does not augur well for the future even with the introduction of devolved governance.

Interestingly, there is a greater enthusiasm for devolution among upcountry residents of the coast at 66 per cent compared to 59 per cent of the locals.

MINIMUM WAGE

Perhaps the whole debate about ‘outsiders’ grabbing the plum jobs at the coast emerges because of the appalling low standards of education among the local people. In any case, the end result of poor education and inability to compete for the better paid jobs is that 55 per cent of the coastals earn less than Sh10,000 per month, which of course means that over half work for less than the minimum wage.

The picture gets gloomier when we discover that 69 per cent of the population state that there is no public figure that represents the interests of the coast residents.

The survey was conducted six weeks before the General Election but the highest score achieved by any politician was a mere 3 per cent. Politicians are rated the biggest obstacle to development of the region due to greed and corruption.

In desperation, 53 per cent consider the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) as the only group of substance that fights for the interests of locals.

However, the fact that only 11 per cent have interacted with the movement means there is very little concrete organisation or activities associated with them and explains why they have become both anonymous and irrelevant in the post-election era.

The Coast then will reach 50 with poverty and illiteracy still the principal features of the area. That is both shocking and shameful; a wasted half century of opportunities.

The land situation is far from resolved either with only 44 per cent having titles to the land that they occupy and 41 per cent still without.

There is a crisis but as the Chinese say, a crisis is an opportunity. Of course there are historical and current injustices that need to be addressed but there are available opportunities that should not be missed.

The current budget for education is Sh273 billion or 17 per cent although the World Bank recommends a figure of at least 20 per cent. Education still offers the best hope but it needs a huge campaign to convince parents.