To illustrate the point about African Aid, I'll copy out a letter sent in August to The Daily Telegraph, UK by Andrew Mwenda, editor of The Independent, Uganda and signed by 5 other well respected African academics. It's very interesting.
"The parlous state of Britain's public finances provides the perfect opportunity for British taxpayers to end their half-century long experiment with 'development aid', which has, since its inception, stunted growth and subsidised bad governance in Africa.
As Africans, we urge the generous-spirited British to reconsider an aid programme they can ill afford and which we do not want or need. A real offer from the British people to help our development would consist of the abolition of the Common Agricultural Policy, which keeps African agricultural exports out of the European marketplace.
It is this policy, combined with the weight of regulations, bad laws and stifling bureaucracy, subsidised by five decades of development aid, which prevents Africans from lifting themselves out of poverty.
Andrew Mitchell, the Secretary of State for International Development, speaks about a 'moral imperative' to combat poverty around the world. We could not agree more.
The British have a unique opportunity to cut the deficit and help Africa; please ask your new Government to stop your aid.'
Sadly, it seems that no one was listening...
Last week Kenya had its fair share of scandals, both political and non. 'Will-I-am' Ruto has been suspended from cabinet until his outstanding fraud case is settled regarding the selling of Ngong forest land to the Kenya Pipeline company back in 2004. (There was also the maize scandal that he was implicated in a year or so ago - not sure what's happening on that one). Ruto thinks it's unfair to suspend him because there are loads of ministers with court cases related to corruption pending but Raila and Kibaki are fed up with him because he's been politically divisive for ages, the icing on the cake being his leading the 'no' campaign against voting in the new constitution.
Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetangula is also in the hot seat this week, having apparently lost 1.1 billion shillings of taxpayers money in a dodgy Tokyo embassy construction fiasco. He is accused of misleading the cabinet and making bad investment decisions (presumably driven by his personal business interests). It seems that Kenya's anti-corruption investigators are working overtime at the moment and the message is, new constitution, no tolerance.
There are some intriguing photographs in the newspapers, of 'men in black'/ICC officials snapped wearing sunglasses and hanging out in Eldoret, apparently there to conduct their investigations into post election violence. I don't envy their job.
A Kenyan secondary school was razed to the ground by its own students. The newspaper headline ran 'Not Again'.
Foregin Aid from the UK has not just been ring-fenced, it has actually been increased.
ReplyDeleteI am with you in feeling uneasy about Aid, but there are reasons why Aid is given by Governments who know of the problems:
1. If you don't, someone else will and that makes you look bad
2. Giving Aid, gives you some leverage - you can engage with Minsiters in recepient countries, scold them sometimes and when your nationals and businesses get into trouble (as they will), you have some leg to stand on as a donor
3. Guilt
4. To try and reduce migration to the developed world by hoping that some of the Aid will get through and lead to some development and happier, more settled populations
5. Aid/Foreign Ministries in donor countries protecting their turf.
I hope that in time, Aid will be more concerted (so that (1) above becomes less of a problem) and that reform of trade barriers is undertaken. Until then perhaps civil society in places like Kenya can also bring pressure on their own Governmentss to get their house in order.
Sorry for the lecture, but feel passionately about this also.
My wife and I are moving to Nairobi in December time-frame, so really appreciate your blog and the glimpses into life there!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more with the agricultural program waste... we in the US have similar wasteful subsidies.
Didn't quite understand your last paragraph -- was the secondary school razing related to post-election violence...?
I think that, when it comes to aid...the British government's policy is really aimed for domestic consumption so what Africans think doesn't really come into it. It's also touching that you think they offer it for altruistic reasons but I'm afraid i'm a bit more cynical than you. The reason it's ringfenced is not because of concern for the "plight of Africa/Africans" but the aid is just one strand in a structural relationship that is still beneficial to Britain above all. The British taxpayer, therefore, might feel that aid is a waste of his hard earned tax monies but he/she is actually benefitting from it.
ReplyDeleteOn Ruto, not much optimism there, I suspect the case will collapse, he will be reinstated and it will be business as usual! My first time here, nice blog
ReplyDeleteThanks for these comments. The first was enlightening vis-a-vis why aid is given.
ReplyDeleteRe: the secondary school. There has been a problem in Kenya with arson/students burning down their boarding schools (boarding is common practise for secondary here). In this dormatory fire incident 2 died. Would have been more if it weren't for the efforts of a fellow student.
We will see about Ruto. Heard today on the radio that there's not much public confidence on his integrity generally.
Re: my earlier post citing 5 [good and bad] reasons why Aid is given, there is at least 1 other reason in the case of Kenya. It concerns Aid for Security/Intelligence, especially from the US. Again, much self-interest here: if you give a lot of Aid for the security services, you increase your chances of having direct contact with those security organs, and you might also be able to influence Kenya's Somali policy.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I note the usual warped and whingeing comments by Kenyans about the evil donor countries, but nothing (as usual) about how they intend to influence their own Government and behaviour in this area. Or, is that also the burden of foreigners?