Hi Solomon, Once the government has developed the rural areas to have schools, sewage, power, hospitals and the rest would this not have become an urban area? Definitions An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ... Urban areas have a population of at least 1,000 and no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometre. They include both census metropolitan areas ... What this tells us is that for urbanization there needs to be concentration thus making it cheaper & easier to provide services or amenities. A good reflection is the recent outbreak of cholera, in the prison it was identified and stopped within a few days as the trend of infections was easily picked up. In North Eastern the full effect is still not known as the population is spread out. What the president is advocating is that for us to develop faster we need to create clusters where services can be easily provided. Kenya Power realised that there was greater potential in Kibera, Soweto and Nyalenda than in Mandera, El dama Ravine or Garsen. Rome was not based on 5 acre blocks but multi storied structures. We do not need to recreate the wheel resettling the Mau people in 5 acres blocks is just propagating perpetual poverty. Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 --- On Tue, 8/12/09, Solomon Mburu Kamau <solo.mburu@gmail.com> wrote: From: Solomon Mburu Kamau <solo.mburu@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] My 2 cents on settling the Mau evicties To: "robert yawe" <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tuesday, 8 December, 2009, 9:08 While the president might have meant well with his statement, the political elite see the evictions as a threat to their political survival. It is imperative that for development to take place, the traditional rural-urban migration be stopped by developing more rural areas and putting in place all the necessary functional amenities such as schools, hospitals, sewarage systems etc for accomodating people. I wish we had a time to add input in Vision 2030 as we are with the constitution! On 08/12/2009, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
After reading the presidents Kenyatta day speech he actually set the agenda meeting the 2030 objectives. I feel that if the government has the good will they should start by applying this issue in Mau.
Extract from President's Kenyatta day speech "For the better part of our history, Kenya has been a rural-based economy, with a few cities and towns. These lifestyles and livelihoods cannot sustain us much longer under the double pressure arising from relentless rapid population growth and the changing climate.
This reality will make it very difficult for the bulk of our people to draw their sustenance from farming or livestock keeping.
We have no choice but to plan for rapid urbanization and rural eco-cluster settlements. We must plan for several large metropolitan areas in various parts of the country which will serve to hold the bulk of the population. We must also plan for a highly effective rural cluster eco-programme for both agricultural and pastoral communities."
Those evicted from the Mau should be resettled in a new settlement providing all the necessary amenities. They can then be employed to replant the trees while the government in association with the private sector creates new employment opportunities that would absorb them after completion of the afforestation exercise and also their children as they come of age.
I asked a friend who plants maize in the region and she tells me that they make a net profit of 100,000/- per year from a 14 acre farm. This equates to about 9,000/- per month, so someone with 5 acres can only make 3,500/- per month from maize. If the government hired them at a salary of 10,000/- and provided a mortgage scheme for the houses we can resolve this issue while also making strides towards 2030.
There are 1,500 people which translates to about 400 families, all can be accommodated on a 10 acre plot in 3 bedroom flats. The construction of this units using precast concrete structures would take less than 12 months and would cost 1 billion including all amenities.
Lets urbanize as the President is advocating and stop sending people back to rural settings that are unsustainable.
Regards
Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya
Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
-- Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau P.O. Box 19343 - 00202 Nairobi Cell: (+254-0) 735 431041 Man is a gregarious animal and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the same way to the side of a hill! AND It is better to die in dignity than in the ignomity of ambiguous generosity! http://dawn-in-kenya.blogspot.com http://smiley2.wordpress.com http://mburu.sikika.co.ke