Kenya needs a more modest approach to development projects
MPs yesterday said that the Big Four was unaffordable (see P4-5).
The parliamentary Budget Committee said government had insufficient funds to execute its plans for Universal Healthcare, affordable housing, food security and manufacturing.
This year's budget allocated Sh460 billion for the Big Four but we have seen little progress apart from UHC trials in five counties.
Perhaps it is time for a more prudent approach towards flagship projects. If we jump in without analysis, we can end up with projects like the over-ambitious school laptops scheme that failed to take off. There are also alarming reports that SGR freight costs may end up being double those of road transport.
Were these projects properly scrutinised? Were they subject to critical feasibility studies to anticipate in advance everything that could go wrong?
The suspicion is that they were fast tracked without proper scrutiny because someone somewhere wanted to make a quick buck.
Let's be more modest in selecting projects. Let's make certain we can afford the projects we are planning. And let's complete projects in the pipeline before starting new ones.
Quote of the day: "The rights of democracy are not reserved for a select group within society, they are the rights of all the people."
Olof Palme
The Swedish Prime Minister was assassinated on February 28, 1986