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13 May 2009 | No Comment
When i was in USIU we studied about an interesting technique designed to push-start an economy used in the 1920s just after the great depression. What the government or someone did was to get folks to dig up lots of holes and then come the following day to fill these up. The idea got money circulating in the economy again and voila! Things got much better suddenly. At least that is vaguely how i remeber it…
There are many things that one can take from that lesson: 1. give people useless repetetive tasks to do to kickstart the economy. 2. develop a new and innovative strategy to encourage an economy to recover. 3. Nothing.
I must give our Kenyan decision makers the props for not taking option number three away from this lesson – as they sooooo often do, at least someone in that thieving bunch (9 billion shillings budget typing error? Yeah right! That is about 125 million dollars) went to University and read their photocopied notes from some bofin – I am certain they never attended any classes, that would require discipline, something the current occupants of our August House are desperately lacking in.
Anyway, I am sure at this point you are wondering what the point of all this is. Well if you have been keeping your eyes open as you drive from A to B, you will have noticed masses of people desguised as Mungiki activists (dislexically dressed mobs of people weilding pangas, slashers, etc) standing by the roads huddled in a menacing manner. They almost look like they are waiting for the right moment to pounce on you and instantly strip you of all the earthly possesions you may have on you.
Well, if you think like me you will be happy to find out that you are wrong. These guys are actually the fruit of some Kenyan vote-seeking luminary’s strategy. The strategy is this: instead of cutting grass with machines (and similar tasks that can be quickly done by machine) use human energy. The net result is a massive mob of poeple just attacking anything green coming out of the ground in a desparate attempt to earn their wage at the end of the day – or look busy.
I wondered for a moment if this was bad or good. I decided it was good. At least smeone is trying to reduce the masses that gather at our numerous jobless corners by giving them something to do… but cut grass and trim hedges? Seriously? Is it just me or is Kenya just from begging the global community for money due toa drought of some sort (or was it just an excuse to ask for more money that can be ghosted upon arrival?), so why would we be cutting grass right now, the little buggers are just recovering!
In the spirit of not just critisizing the Kenyan Governemtn and moving on – like so many of us do, I have a proposal… Why don’t they pay these same guys to build houses/schools/hospitals and any infrusture we might need… I guarantee you that 100% of the guys doing this work or at least that should be doing it, don’t have a proper house to live in. So why not find some place and start them off building houses en masse that can later be given ‘em. Then pay them for that.
Even if the government decides the finished product is too nice to give away, at least a genune contribution will have been made to the Kenyan economy , but cutting grass. Seriously?
Anyway, maybe it is just me… let me know what you think…