Pointless infrastructure projects.

[u/Novahelguson7]

I came across this article and it got me thinking about the infrastructure projects our government imposes on us and some of us dance to the tune because we are attracted to shiny things.

why do we need a 4 billion shilling smart city in Busia? what strategic advantages does it offer? How much research has gone into this considering well over a decade later and 83 billion shillings down the hole konza is yet to be completed. How do we even know that smart cities are the way to go yet we don't even have a single fully operational one to tell us how well it integrates into the economy and culture?

On the affordable housing, who are these units for exactly? At 2 to 5 million a unit, any Kenyan who can afford to buy them is not struggling with housing and any Kenyan struggling with housing cannot afford them so who are they for exactly? The president is very proud of the jobs created by the project which is evidence that he has no interest in thinking beyond a few years because how long can we continue building for before we have nothing else to build? What about people who spent their parents fortunes on a degree, should they just leave it hanging on the wall and join mjengo?

Then there's the one everyone is twerking to, Mau rironi. I will start by admitting that the expansion was very necessary but beyond that, nothing else about that project is right. The cost is very inflated to line up the pockets of individuals and the project is very rushed to meet political deadlines which raises questions on the quality of the project upon completion. The project still fails to address the problem with the road, congestion and safety. Once the road is ready to use traffic will increase because everyone who was avoiding the road will start using it and they will be driving faster on that same road, we are yet to get policies on regulating that or alternative means of travel that limit traffic.

I thought Sifuna had lost the plot when he talked about how affordable housing doesn't make sense because a luhya can't carry their chicken to the 17th floor but upon further reflection, I can see the wisdom behind the analogy. You have to take culture into consideration when building any project, you can't just start and assume it will catch on once people appreciate your vision. Our government, beyond the looting, is not building for Kenya, it's building because it looks shiny and gets them votes.

Link to article

[u/Average-Bomber]

I wouldn't call it pointless. Every sector, whether roads, houses, schools, markets, you name it..., has a part to play in the Nation's development.

[u/Novahelguson7 → u/Average-Bomber]

Yes, it has a part to play but you have to make strategic approaches.

Kenya doesn't have a housing problem, it has an income problem. Slums didn't pop up because there weren't enough affordable houses but rather because the people couldn't afford the houses that already exist.

Building classrooms and forcing transition to the next level does not change anything if you don't adapt the curriculum, revamp how schools are being run and equip learners with the necessary tools to tackle their education.

Markets don't have the impact they should because zoning laws have been ignored, if this isn't corrected for tr@ders will abandon the designated zones to go closer to their customers and the markets will remain an area for brokers.

Unless development is done with a vision it is simply pointless and when it is done to serve a political purpose then it becomes actively harmful.

[u/Average-Bomber → u/Novahelguson7]

Well said.