FIRST WORD
MAL / 12 / 16
Marketing Africa limited
P . O . Box 36481- 00200 Nairobi , Kenya Cell : + 254 - 717 - 529 052 Email : Info @ marketingafrica . co . ke
TANZANIA
Marketing Africa limited Cell : + 254 - 717 - 529 052 Email : Info @ marketingafrica . co . ke
UGANDA
Marketing Africa limited Cell : + 254 - 717 - 529 052 Email : Info @ marketingafrica . co . ke
Marketing Africa Team William Kalombo Mutua Mutua Dorah Nambwenya Kennedy Odongo Stephen Waweru
Editorial Contributors |
Herman Githinji |
Sheida Mutuku |
Evans Majeni |
Boniface Ngahu |
Diana Obath |
Marion Wakahe |
Isaac Ngatia |
Mapula Bodibe |
Lynette Thuo |
Dominic Malan |
Jaco Lintvelt |
Patrick Kabuchi |
Spencer Okacth |
Dr . Wale Akinyemi |
Dr . Clifford Fergusson Dr . Maureen Owiti |
Kepha Nyanumba |
Dr . Kellen Kiambati |
Jeniffer Mwangangi |
Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia |
Paul Mwirigi |
Joyce Muthoni |
Bernard Asoro |
Caroline Mwazi |
Design & Layout Ashdown Limited 11th Flr , Pension Towers , Loita Street . P . O . Box 73414 - 00200 | Nairobi , Kenya . Tel : + 254 20 249 0286 | Cell : + 254 - 722 - 304 677 Email : info @ ashdown . co . ke | Web : www . ashdown . co . ke
Feedback / Comments Email : info @ marketingafrica . co . ke web : www . marketingafrica . com @ MarketingAfrica Marketing Africa
Marketing Africa Magazine is published by Marketing Africa Limited . Views expressed in the articles and contributions are not neccessarily those of the publisher . The Publisher reserves all rights .
Material may only be reproduced with prior arrangement and due acknowledgement to
00 MAL Marketing 11 / 16 APRIL Africa Magazine
FIRST WORD
ON COOPERATION
Kenyans like to gloat over the fact that we are the economic power house of the region . The problem with any self accolade is that though it gives one a false sense of pride and accomplishment it non-the-less does not alter any reality .
Looking at various basic economic indicators should bring most Kenyans down from cloud nine and have a reality check . It would force them to face the brutal reality that life in Kenya is anything but rosy and we are actually a poor country .
Low GDP , low growth , a narrow tax base , high taxes , a predominately young and fast growing population , high unemployment , high income disparities , poor health facilities , low life expectancy , low literacy rates are just a few indicators that all is not well .
Add to this economic tinderbox a highly charged ethnic based political arena competing for the very scarce resources and you have the making of an unstable country . Kenya has been living on the brink for too long and the power house tag looks very misplaced .
A characteristic of a poor country is that the route to personal economic prosperity is usually through the exercise of power and this is usually through getting and holding onto political power . This is what has created the winner takes all political scenes we experience in poor countries .
Being the leader in a race of lame ducks hardly gives one the rights to crow and sadly the other countries in the region seem more intent on taking over the crowing rights rather than cooperating to raise the economic wellbeing of the region .
The proposed regional integration was meant to create an economic bloc that would have the numbers necessary to create a real powerhouse . Politics destroyed our first attempt and it appears that politics may very well thwart the current effort .
An economic bloc would and should plan strategically and the location of common facilities would be determined by wider goals of economic empowerment to marginalised areas to create a balanced region with a balanced growth rate .