TETU CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT PLAN
INTRODUCTION Leaders consulting more closely with their "target beneficiaries"- i.e. involve the poor themselves in problem identification and decision-making process, rather than trying to impose outsider-devised interventions on them accomplish much more than those who do not. The Development theory has attributed development failures to many issues but where resources have not been the problem, the “top-down" approach” approach which many agencies and political leaders took to development was partly to blame. The assumption that experts, notably economists, can diagnose problems and devise plans for governments to implement to improve people‟s lives is questioned. The arrogance, the ignorance of the needs and aspirations of the poor, did great damage. This is the background under which the Kenya government in 2003 started the journey towards engaging the communities in development through devolved funds such as the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and encouragement for public – private partnerships (PPP) to fight against poverty in Kenya.
The enactment of the Constituencies Development Fund Act in 2003 significantly changed development dynamics at the community level. CDF is one of the many development initiatives being undertaken by the government to address poverty in the country. The main purpose of the fund is to ensure that a specific portion of the Annual Government Ordinary Revenue is devoted to the Constituencies for purposes of development and in particular in the fight against poverty at the constituency level. There is still much to be done by constituencies to effectively spend the resources disbursed to them as evidenced by the fact that only 20 out of 210 did have comprehensive plans. Even then, most constituencies planned on how to expend constituency development funds only. For development to be effective the holistic development of the constituency must be taken into account and the available financial resources only viewed as a means to achieving the desired outcomes. The development must also be based on the human, natural and technological resources available to the community, the current and un/expected environment outside the community as well as citizens‟ needs within the community. This engages the constituents to utilize the resources available to them and be innovative to expand the resources through partnerships making them less dependent on „hand outs‟ from local leaders and foreigners. This is best analyzed by the dependency theory. One aspect of Dependency theory posits that the cause of the low levels of development in 1
less economically developed countries ( LEDC‟s) is caused by the relieance and dependence on more economically developed countries ( MEDC‟s) - i.e. the LEDC's are undeveloped because they rely on the MEDC's. This analogy can be used to explain the situation in Kenya, where the poor and youth depend on hand outs and do not see a way out of the dependency cycle. As with countries, it is possible to break the dependency cycle by developing a clear development plan for a constituency that lays the foundation for a comprehensive strategic plan. The plan looks at the background of the constituency, the development needs, priorities and suggestions on how to go about resolving them with the limited resources available.
The constituency development plan needs to be consistent with the National plan of the country and global development plans. The Kenya government decided, through its National Economic and Social Council ( NESC), to come up with Vision 2030, a guiding template for the country‟s development over the next two and half decades. It was developed to build on the momentum of growth so far achieved the implementation of Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (ERSWEC). The express aim of Vision 2030 is to catapult the country to a middle income status by 2030. It outlines the main pillars as Economic, Social and Political pillars. The key areas that touch directly to TETU development plan for the next 5 years are: Trade: formalization of retail chain should include creation of fresh produce markets, to maintain access to fresh produce and also increase profits to producers. Education and Training: provide globally competitive quality education, training and research and development. Higher level ICT skills are important for a growing, changing economy, and these skills need to be acquired, constantly, at all stages in life. On a global level, there is the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
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A. TETU BACKGROUND
TETU is a constituency situated in Central province and the highlands of Kenya. It has a good arable land with a hard working people. The main economic activities include: milk, coffee, tea and horticultural produce. It is close to the Aberdares Mountains and thus has a good distribution of rivers and adequate rainfall. The schools are well distributed and in the past it has registered high education rates. In terms of industries, it has one tea factory that creates employment. TETU is not well developed as it faces many challenges that good planning and leadership can mitigate by tapping the opportunities that exist. Some of the challenges include: poor roads, unemployment, inadequate electricity distribution, water distribution, declining education standards, poor cash crop prices, lack of other partners especially NGOs, lack of service industries like banks, high poverty levels, large administrative areas, land scarcity , market underdevelopment, inadequate urban centers and lack of industries.
The leadership has to overcome the challenges by utilizing the opportunities that exist. This include: good supply of rivers, favorable climate, devolved funds, availability of credit facilities, land for school expansion, high educated Diaspora, free and subsidized secondary school and the member of parliament party association with ruling party. Though many opportunities exist, so does some threats that the leadership has deal with at each stage of development. These include: human / wildlife conflict, decreasing water levels, old teachers in schools, current instability in the country, high constituents expectations of the leaders, political opponents. The current Member of Parliament has been a pioneer in development projects and has commendable achievements.
B. ACHIEVEMENTS BY HON. FT NYAMMO In the past FT. Nyammo has worked on development projects to improve TETU. Some of these projects include: building and facilities for schools and equipping, building and assisting of churches, establishment of bursaries to educate less fortunate children, water projects ( he initiated the first water project in TETU), electricity initiatives and women and youth projects. He seeks to continue with these projects and with the assistance of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), other funds and partnerships to accomplish the priorities outlined below for the people of TETU.
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C. TETU DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES AND VISION (2008 – 2012) 1. Education The constituency has one provincial school and to improve the standards, it will be important to have another two schools and probable a girl and a boy school. This can be easily achieved by upgrading the schools already available. With free primary school and now subsidized secondary school, it is important to increase the transition rate from primary to secondary. This will require expansion of some schools. This could also provide opportunities for private schools to provide education to the increasing school numbers. Change of focus for some of the CDF monies allocated to schools to : high extra teachers, sponsor teachers and school committee seminars, buy mock papers and books for standard eight pupils, establish new secondary schools. ICT resources center in secondary the community secondary schools will improve education through research. The community will also benefit from the facilities increasing literacy levels. The centers will need staff thus creating employment for the large growing numbers of unemployed youth. The teachers too will be multi skilled enabling mobility of teachers to other professions and thus continuing to create jobs. There are some Tertiary institutions existing in the constituency but they too need an uplift of the resources available as well as the facilities. The schools that exist need to have adequate facilities and equipment. This will include cemented floors for primary schools without and labs for high schools. The parents need to be encouraged to contribute to schools: high teachers, school feeding programs for standard eight pupils etc. The Diaspora and old boys and girls to be encouraged to be part of the schools development. 2. Infrastructure The road network is poor and the locations are not connected to each other and also to other road networks out of the constituency. Being an agricultural community, it is important for fresh produce and other produce to get to the market on time and save on wastes and delays. Some roads may be usable but could have bridges that make them impassable.
3. Agriculture 4
Tea and coffee are the major cash crops for the area. Whereas tea is well marketed, coffee still remains a challenge. There is need for market diversification and value addition locally.
Daily farming is big and needs to be encouraged as it is economical on the diminishing land. Some dailies exist but there is need for more and also value addition for the milk for larger markets. The productivity too needs to be improved to meet demand and increase economic benefits to the farmers
Horticulture: Kenya is one of the major exporters of horticultural produce to the European Union. This needs to be encouraged and ways to value add explored. The products should be diversified to meet the needs of the market.
Other farming like honey should be encouraged. Honey is less time consuming, economic on land use and has a ready market for the supply in the country is still inadequate.
4. Water The area is well served by rivers but the water is not well utilized. Apart from utilizing the existing sources it‟s important to explore new sources like dams. These can be used to supplement the rivers in providing piped water and water for irrigation especially as horticulture farming is encouraged. Water trusts can be formed and be licensed by the Ministry of Water and these can assist in raising funds for water supply for different activities including household use.
5. Health Most locations have health centers. But most of them are not well equipped and are not well distributed in the locations. Apart from the public health centers, it is important to attract private for profit and non profit to compliment the public health centers especially in providing specialized attention that may not be available in the public health centers. HIV/AIDS is growing menace in most areas and thus a need to develop a strategic plan to deal with the pandemic. This will include how groups can be formed to receive funds from National Aids Control Council in dealing with the pandemic. 6. Electricity Well distributed power will encourage both entrepreneur activities and employment opportunities that depend on power supply. The power in the area does not supply to most primary schools and thus a hindrance to many opportunities for students to explore in learning. The ministry of Energy is now aggressive in promoting and 5
supplying rural electrification and this would be a great partnership to redirect power in the most needed places. Groups too can be assisted to get power when transformers as planted in close proximities to homes. This will also change many household lives and especially protect our trees that are used as firewood. 7. Employment and entrepreneurship The above will generate employment especially for families and in particular the youth. But it is important to have a clear development plan that is geared to assisting the youth. This will also reduce the influx of rural – urban migration. Service industries: cyber cafes, agricultural produce outlets, encourage retail businesses in urban centers, banking, legal services, medical camps, phone services. 8. Others Other priorities that could arise from time to time that cannot wait. Such will include issues of security like opening new AP posts and upgrading AP posts and police stations. Some of the locations are too large for effective administration and thus the need to divide them.
D. THE PRIORITIES SPECIFIC FOR EACH LOCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT There are ongoing CDF projects from the last 5 years plan that need to be completed through CDF or other partnerships. In TETU West the majority are schools. In sampling a few, it was noted that many had utilized the allocated funds well and the balance should see the completion of the projects lest for a few. The primary schools that were sampled gave an indication of the status of most primary schools in the Division; which to say the least they are pathetic and need prioritization in the next five years. This is in line with Hon. FT Nyammo‟s vision to prioritize education in the constituency. Even though buildings are not directly related to good school performance they are indirectly related. 1. Muhoya Economic activities: Tea and milk Development priorities: water , upgrade of roads, health centre, tea factory and milk cooling plant and standby generator 2. Tetu Economic activities: Tea, little coffee, milk Development priorities: roads, water distribution, open air market, power distribution
3. Thingengi: 6
Economic activities: Tea, coffee, milk, open air market, Development priorities: tea factory, coffee factory, re-tarmac the existing road, roads, water
4. Karundu: Economic activities: Coffee, milk, horticulture( tomatoes, onions, French beans) Development priorities: inadequate power, roads, water, divide to 3 locations, health centers 5. Gaki: Economic activities: coffee, milk Development priorities: enough schools, health centers, inadequate power, roads, water, divide to 2 locations. 6. Aguthi: Economic activities: coffee, milk Development priorities: functional cattle dips, inadequate power, water, roads.
E. KEY OBSERVATIONS MADE SO FAR FOR TETU DEVELOPMENT It is important to evaluate the poverty levels per location and allocate resources equitably. It is important to visit with areas that voted for other candidates and find out the reasons why and how that can be mitigated through development projects and other initiatives. CDF is just one fund to utilize and thus the need to engage other development partners. For example, UN bodies like Habitat for Humanity, Government ministries and agencies for especially infrastructure, Rotary clubs in water and education, lawyers for legal aid clinics and doctors for medical camps etc. It is important to decide who handles all the funds related to development to avoid loop holes and too many people that could lead to projects stalling. For pending projects, it is important to first evaluate the projects to determine the funds needed for completion. This will enable the team to decide how to prioritize the projects, source for extra resources if CDF resources are inadequate and sources for development partners and TETU Diaspora. The project committees for CDF and other funds to be nominated from trustworthy and skilled people.
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CDF funds would be best utilized if handled by the CDF committee and not project committees as this has been seen to slow implementation and create “loop holes” for lose of funds. This to be instituted to ongoing projects inherited from the last five years too.
Each proposal received by the CDF committee to be a full proposal for the project to enable allocation of funds from CDF and if need be from development partners both local and International.
Project proposals once evaluated and accepted to be fully funded from the different funds available to reduce the number of incomplete projects and creation of “white elephant” projects that could arise.
Projects to be initiated with assurance of funding and those ongoing to be completed before other new projects begin to reduce the number of ongoing projects that could easily stall for lack of or inadequate funding.
All projects requiring funding to be tendered through a competitive process. Project contractors to be supervised by the project committee and overall by the CDF committee and projects to be timed and contractors not delivering quality and timely projects to be black listed from tendering for future projects.
The project coordinator and fund manager to visit the projects and the constituency often to earmark the status of the projects and the current needs from the constituents. The CDF committee to periodically visit the funded projects and ear mark new ones and also visit each project before funding is allocated. The constituents to be encouraged through meetings and other forums on the need to be self reliant and not to rely on the Member of Parliament (MP) for their needs except for facilitation with such as marketing, infrastructure and sources of funds like banks etc. For example, those in need of short term loans to be encouraged to utilize micro finance organizations and friendly banks. The MP‟s team to note such needs and focus on attracting and facilitating such organizations to be present in TETU.
Another important area that the team working with the MP both at the National and Constituency level to note is the need to facilitate constituents to think entrepreneurship than always employment and also to post available vacancies at the Constituent office, D.Os offices and announcements at the local churches. This will curb expectations that the MP is there to find jobs as well as re orient the thinking of the constituents from employment only to entrepreneurship. 8
F. INCOMPLETE CDF PROJECTS 2004- 2007
G. DEVELOPING A STRATEGIC PLAN To effectively accomplish the development priorities set out for the next five years, its important to develop a strategic plan on how to best utilize the CDF and other devolved funds and partnerships. For decades, Kenya‟s development and decision making processes were the exclusive prerogative of central government. A „top down‟ approach was used to design policies, programmes and projects. As a result communities played no role in making decisions that affected important aspects of the political, socio- economic and ecological systems that sustained them.
Strategic planning, though a business plan that determines where an organization is going over the next year or more and how it will strategically position itself to get there, is an orderly process that can be adopted by rural communities to identify and address pressing issues. Strategic planning ensures that people and communities are genuinely engaged in the decisions made on public services which affect them; allied to a commitment from development agents to work together, not apart, in providing better public services. Secondly, it improves the connection between national policies/priorities and those at district, constituency, location and sub-location levels.
The three questions to ask are: 1. Where is our community today? 2. What do we want our community to be like in the future? 3. How can we effectively move toward the future?
The strategic planning process involves 7 steps as follows.
1. Organize: careful selection of participants especially community leaders and those involved in development process. 2&3. Environmental scan and selection of key issues: conducting a review of the constituency‟s environment i.e the political, economic, social, technological and environmental aspects to fully understand the facts about the constituency
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4. Developing strategic direction: this includes identifying the vision, mission and values statements. The overall accomplishments that the community would like to achieve, and the overall methods to use to achieve these strategic goals are discussed. 5. Action Planning: Since challenges are enormous and resources are usually limited, it is critical to prioritize the areas of greatest need that when addressed will result to the greatest impact in improving social welfare. 6. Implementation: Leadership and institutional structures that are transparent are key for effective implementation. 7. Monitoring and Evaluation: Enables the identification of causal factors and ensures quality control and quality assurance.
Conclusion Whereas strategic plans cannot cure all of a community's ills, it acts as both a leadership tool and a management tool. As a leadership tool the process asks: "are we doing the right thing" and as a management tool, the planning process allows people to make sure that the organization is “doing things right." Lastly, strong partnerships are likely to be created among development agents thus enhancing synergy in the development process and curbing wastage due to duplication of effort. The strategic plan for the last 5 years is still valid and needs to be validated by the TETU leadership after priotization areas from this document are included.
H. PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN 2008
1. DAIRY FARMING. VISIT TO GITHUNGURI DAIRY FARMERS‟ CO-OP SOCIETY LTD – 20TH MARCH 2008 INTRODUCTION This visit, by members of the Maziwa Co. Ltd, in Tetu constituency - Nyeri, was arranged through the efforts of the Hon. MPs for Tetu and Githunguri constituencies, Hon. FT Nyammo and Hon. Njoroge Baiya, respectively. The visit was to familiarize the Nyeri farmers on the operations of the Githunguri Dairy Farmers Co – op Society (the “society”).
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The Society was formed in 1961 with an initial membership of 31 since when it has grown from strength to strength. It has a current membership of 14500 with app. 9000 active dairy farmers, exclusively within Githunguri division. Up until the last general elections, Hon. Baiya was the long standing chairman of the society. Milk intake from members is app.120,000 litres per day, equating to an average of 13 litres per farmer. The society operates 47 collection centres within the division and milk is collected twice a day. Payment to farmers is by 10th of the following month and averages Kshs. 19 – 22/50 per litre. THE PROCESSING PLANT The Society boasts of a modern dairy processing plant with a processing capacity of 15,000 litres per hour. End products include fresh pasteurized milk under the trade name “Fresha”, yoghurt, ghee and butter. The society has exclusive appointed distributors within Githunguri, Nairobi and environs. The society‟s products are in high demand and the management reckons a deficit of app. 60,000 litres. The “waste” is sold back to farmers for feeding calves and pigs, etc. Quality control is exercised at both the collection centers and at the factory before start of processing. OTHER SERVICES TO MEMBERS 1. Quality Assurance and Extension services The society employs qualified technical staff to train farmers on best practices in animal husbandry and management. There is also close partnership with other Veterinary officers and the society operates a laboratory for screening mastitis.
2. Artificial Insemination 11
Three officials are employed to provide this service. A fourth one is due soon. It is estimated that about 1200 animals are served every month. Semen is procured from Kabete, Holland, USA and Canada. 3. Animal Feeds and Animal Healthcare Products The society operates 37 stores exclusively for their members to procure all their above needs, either for cash or on credit against milk deliveries. In addition, the society stores human consumables e.g. sugar, flour, maize meal, rice, etc, as well as fertilizers. The prices are literally subsidized in that the society purchases the goods in bulk from accredited manufacturers/suppliers and sells to members at just above cost price. This obviously encourages members to only buy from the society‟s stores. Non members are not eligible to purchase from the society‟s stores. 4. Financial credit This is available to members through the Githunguri Dairy SACCO at an interest rate of 12% pa on reducing balances. ADMINISTRATION The day to day operations of the society are under a General Manager who reports to the society‟s Board/Management Committee. The operations are largely divided into Plant and General administration, each headed by a manager. Total employees number about 260 (140 in the factory and 120 in administration), in addition to Temps as necessary. Membership is strictly governed by the society‟s by-laws. Most of the society‟s data, including members‟ daily milk delivery, is computerized. Apart from the factory visit, the group was able to visit two small scale farmers who passionately described their skills in dairy animal husbandry and were clearly happy with the results. Each one of them was delivering 50 – 60 litres of milk from 3 animals daily. Most of the farms are small holdings and thus farmers practice zero – grazing.
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The group was also able to visit the modern Kanjai collection centre, currently collecting about 2000 litres daily. Githunguri Dairy Co-op Society is an integrated and extremely well managed society providing modern dairy farming support to its membership. The processing plant provides value-addition which translates into additional revenue for the members. A UHT plant is scheduled to be installed next year which will obviously open new markets.
CONCLUSION 1. Githunguri dairy has not had other dairies in the area to compete with unlike in TETU where there are several. 2. The society employs professionals and has sourced expertise from such as KCC and Brookside. 3. There is use of modern technology from computerization, milk testing equipment and other processing equipment. 4. Proximity of dairy to large market- Nairobi. 5. There is constant care for the farmer and animals: Human food, animal feeds, service proximity to farmer.
SUGGESTIONS FOR TETU: 1. Encourage the existing dairies to merge to create one dairy that can be competitive and build synergy. 2. Encourage the dairies to work together and create one processing plant. This will not only be cheaper but also efficient. 3. Capacity build on one of the successful dairies to optimum and with time the small ones with less competitive edge will join it.
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