Uhuru BIG 4

[RV Pundit]

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1) Manufacturing - don't see this flying - raising GDP contribution of manufacturing from 9-10% to 15% is not easy.
2) Universal health insurance - this is easy - NHIF already about 30% way - so taking coverage to 100% should be pretty easy
3) Housing - hard one - but achievable if they can tap chinese incredible construction machine - to roll out housing estates like those in Angola.
 https://www.nation.co.ke/business/State-says-house-to-cost-Sh1-5m-in---Big-Four--plan/996-4374160-mr3dia/index.html
4)Food security - don't see this flying - organizing our small holders to be more productive is hard work and rolling out large scale irrigation in water deficit country like kenya is no chicken task.

[gout]

In the Muthamaki Empire Building Viewpoint
1. Manufacturing & 4. Food Security - Brookside to be made a Vision 2030 flagship project
2. Set up a cancer centre to tap into growing market
3. Northwood Estate - Vision 2030 Flagship Estate

[hk]

Manufacturing will only pick up if capital goods financing is encouraged not the current approach of building godowns (industrial parks).. Btw what happened the langat industrial park in Eldoret?

[RV Pundit]

No heard much - it just like you say - real estate gone to manufacturing - the kenyan way of building brick n mortar - godowns - rather than running the manufacturing. Unless we bring chinese down here..I don't see it happening. The leather park may work? Dongo Kundu seem doa? Naivasha industrial park? We need to subsidize power to 3 cents a dollar for chinese..and possibly even do away with minumum wages.

Manufacturing will only pick up if capital goods financing is encouraged not the current approach of building godowns (industrial parks).. Btw what happened the langat industrial park in Eldoret?

[hk]

The housing aspect of big 4 looks like its taking shape https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/economy/How-State-plans-to-deliver-500-000-homes-in-five-years/3946234-4490336-yrvk8cz/index.html  . Its time to pullout of real estate and invest in manufacturing, modern agriculture or technology(low hanging fruit manufacturing and direct sale via ecommerce).

[RV Pundit]

Yeap - if Uhuru can take advantage of Chinese construction machine - then housing will not only provide for pent up demand but will also dissuade every kenyan from investing in real estate and land - and try find somewhere else to invest - like cottage industries.

We need to formalize our housing sector - from small time me and you - to big construction companies that can deliver housing very very cheaply - like 1m- or less -

The housing aspect of big 4 looks like its taking shape https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/economy/How-State-plans-to-deliver-500-000-homes-in-five-years/3946234-4490336-yrvk8cz/index.html  . Its time to pullout of real estate and invest in manufacturing, modern agriculture or technology(low hanging fruit manufacturing and direct sale via ecommerce).

[gout]

I have never understood where these figures are obtained from. Since 1990s we have had the figure 50,000 - 500,000 new houses being thrown around with very little to show off. These figures only make sense to the looting machines.
Jubilee should have ensured it got it right with title deeds. Such a sham we can't get some of these basic foundations of capitalism right despite being travelled and being hailed as capitalists.

https://www.nation.co.ke/news/Ministry-gets-more-time-to-standardise-issuance-of-deeds/1056-4235680-12pxoxhz/index.html
Very little land is titled in Kenya- even in Nairobi landowners are still holding to certificates since the 70s. Just crazy nonsense! What is so hard in granting these government papers - from birth to death certificates, IDs, name it. It only makes sense to government officials collecting hundreds or thousands and millions from Kenyans when they are looking for these vital capitalistic papers or when the plunder designers are throwing around these magical figures. Half of our police are living like animals all over despite billions being pumped to their housing since 1900s.

Government should concentrate on infratructure to open more land to water and tarmac roads and issue title deeds - people will build. Very few Nairobi suburbs/slums have roads. Despite the billions if not trillions poured by Kenyans in Kasarani and Mwiki the road is a mess- which is the case all over. this nonsense of doing everything is just an avenue to ensure everyone is stealing- How do you solve traffic jams in Nairobi by buying more buses and drawing a red line?

The housing aspect of big 4 looks like its taking shape https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/economy/How-State-plans-to-deliver-500-000-homes-in-five-years/3946234-4490336-yrvk8cz/index.html  . Its time to pullout of real estate and invest in manufacturing, modern agriculture or technology(low hanging fruit manufacturing and direct sale via ecommerce).

[hk]

Pundit,

If kplc is run properly and efficiently how much would end consumer pay? Maybe this good be the reason why even with clearly increased connection power usage hasn't changed.

[GeeMail]

Pundit,

If kplc is run properly and efficiently how much would end consumer pay? Maybe this good be the reason why even with clearly increased connection power usage hasn't changed.

KPLC have been unable to respond to the thieving company claims by Apollo Mboya and ordinary consumers. Even with claims of open thieving, blackouts are said to be the norm in Kenya. And don't blame the rains. Electricity in Kenya is unreliable and too expensive. Ask yourself why every major housing estate/office block is investing in high-voltage power generators. How is it that Ndakaini dam is still half full while Kenyans drown in floods? How big are the big four if energy cannot be sorted out? It makes the Big Four sound like four corrupt machismo mafiosi.

[hk]

Pundit,

If kplc is run properly and efficiently how much would end consumer pay? Maybe this good be the reason why even with clearly increased connection power usage hasn't changed.

KPLC have been unable to respond to the thieving company claims by Apollo Mboya and ordinary consumers. Even with claims of open thieving, blackouts are said to be the norm in Kenya. And don't blame the rains. Electricity in Kenya is unreliable and too expensive. Ask yourself why every major housing estate/office block is investing in high-voltage power generators. How is it that Ndakaini dam is still half full while Kenyans drown in floods? How big are the big four if energy cannot be sorted out? It makes the Big Four sound like four corrupt machismo mafiosi.

That I agree. The whole energy system needs to be fully liberalized. The work of ERC that's collecting millions if not billions from consumers yet we have a company clearly gouging consumers its unacceptable. Kenyans are paying for idle power of  turkana wind power yet its not connected to the grid. The ineptness started with kiraitu(regulated the petrol industry) among other things,continued with chirchir and now keter.

[RV Pundit]

I disagree. I think we should focus on universal electricity coverage now. Until we reach 95% of everyone having electricity - then we can focus on issues such as quality/cost - it going to be
expensive up-front for gov, kplc and IPP - to get all infrastructure laid down - and once that is accomplished - then it going to be pretty easy to deal with quality and cost.

And on that count - GOK has really tried..10 yrs ago...there were about 0.3M people connected to the grid! now it's 6m.

That I agree. The whole energy system needs to be fully liberalized. The work of ERC that's collecting millions if not billions from consumers yet we have a company clearly gouging consumers its unacceptable. Kenyans are paying for idle power of  turkana wind power yet its not connected to the grid. The ineptness started with kiraitu(regulated the petrol industry) among other things,continued with chirchir and now keter.

[Nefertiti]

Konza and techparks need to be revamped. ICT and manufacturing, etc have merged now in digital... a start-up and SMB-focused arm of GoK would be good, perhaps under industry ministry like Vision 2030. At least a Startup PS - a visionary like Ndemo. Startups and SME have unique requirements from big manufacturing. Someone to mobilize private VCs like Safaricom,banks, colleges, housing, expats ad such.

France under Macron wants to be "the start-up capital of Europe" - complete with a Start-up Minister. Dubai and Israel too been fighting for Middle East supremacy. Kenya can dominate Sub Sahara by being focused.

[RV Pundit]

Agree. Plus picking up small easy wins in Leather - Ethiopia does it - and we have AGOA slot to export leather products to US.

Konza and techparks need to be revamped. ICT and manufacturing, etc have merged now in digital... a start-up and SMB-focused arm of GoK would be good, perhaps under industry ministry like Vision 2030. At least a Startup PS - a visionary like Ndemo. Startups and SME have unique requirements from big manufacturing. Someone to mobilize private VCs like Safaricom,banks, colleges, housing, expats ad such.

France under Macron wants to be "the start-up capital of Europe" - complete with a Start-up Minister. Dubai and Israel too been fighting for Middle East supremacy. Kenya can dominate Sub Sahara by being focused.

[hk]

Meanwhile increased taxes to supposedly support big 4 and reduce budget deficit(stipulated by IMF to access $1.5b standby loan) https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/economy/Petrol--beer-taxes-to-rise-in-Rotich-s-2018-budget/3946234-4544492-miuol5/index.html .  All this and the private sector growth will still be anemic. Classic liberal tax and spend economic regime. It couldn't be any worse time to raise taxes on petrol just as the price of oil is rising.

[hk]

Workers who are formally employed to pay higher taxes https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/economy/Treasury-signals-PAYE-tax-overhaul-as-it-eyes-more-revenue/3946234-4545374-h3tywo/index.html and the list continues of taxes to be raised. Yet kenyans are only focused on handshakes and referendum on constitution.

[RV Pundit]

The problem is apparently about 6000 customers (big industries) consume like 60% of power or something that ridiculous - definitely KPLC are not making super-normal profit as you would expect from a monopoly utility. The problem I think stem right from expensive PPPs that force KPLC to evacuate or pay for power - and then very few consumers who can actually consume power.

Anyway I still insist we should knock down UNIVERSAL ELECTRICITY COVERAGE by investing more in the sector...transmission & supply side...then demand side will come slowly with more manufacturing and less expensive power.
 

Pundit,

If kplc is run properly and efficiently how much would end consumer pay? Maybe this good be the reason why even with clearly increased connection power usage hasn't changed.

[hk]

Even more taxes to hit taxpayers https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/economy/Rotich-hits-top-income-earners-with-35pc-tax/3946234-4562256-82fs4x/index.html . Does anyone seriously think this is a progrowth economic strategy?  If there's something the mps should balk at is this year budget. The most urgent thing in kenya is how to get private sector investment cranking. The 5.6% growth is purely being driven by public expenditure and that is about to come to a screeching halt.  The thirst to collect more taxes is being driven by ever expanding budgets that have to be financed by heavy local borrowing and high taxes. Its about time kenyans took a hard look at budget allocations. Otherwise we'll need to borrow more pay high taxes to feed the monster. In my humble opinion this is the greatest threat to Ruto's chances of getting elected and he should get Rotich and thuggee fired and replace them with someone like Julius kones.