Kenya is a country widely endowed with a variety of natural resources. Natural resource endowment is, in most cases, a guarantee that such a country will prosper in terms of economic development. Is this applicable to Kenya anyway?? Well, if I may be tempted to think so, then maybe I would be right saying that it is possible with a revolution of leadership in the country. Or maybe I should put it that it is possible only if the exploitation of the resources is administered well or otherwise, whichever sounds best.
With this, I mean that the companies granted with the responsibility of exploiting the resources should be of Kenyan origin. Some will argue that Kenyan companies lack the technological requirements to exploit these resources. I in contrast oppose to this with arguments.
It would be better off if these domestic companies were provided with the required technology to exploit the resources instead of entrusting the country’s resources to foreign companies. Dependence on the technologically advanced countries for their technology can not be equivalent to full dependence on their technology and labour. It would work best for the country if it was to be partially dependent, on the technology only. More of the profits made would be used to develop the country.
Our leaders are rational, decisive and can surely make better decisions concerning the issue at hand. Yes, I affirm that whatever decisions they make are never unilateral, are the best for the country and propel the developments of the country, but I bet there are more better decisions they can make.
Citing an example of the oil in Turkana, greater developments would have been realized until now if the company entrusted with the mining operation was local-based. However, the state of underdevelopment of the county and the region still prevails. The foreign companies just suck dry our resources and benefit from the exercise and leave the country in the same state of underdevelopment as it was long before.
More and more of these resources are being discovered day in day out. But they will never guarantee economic development of the country if the way in which they are administered persists. The little resources the country has should be exploited with such caution and prudence to ensure that the public benefit from the fruits of their land.
