Kenyas Millennium Development Goals
Kenyas economy has been growing at a very slow rate .It is ranked as the 17th poorest nation in the world and since independence, Kenya has had a mixed economic perfomance.Although slow and stagnant economic rate has characterized Kenyas economy, economic growth improved slightly after 2002.For instance, Kenyas Gross National income (GNI) per capita in 2005 was estimated to be 523.1 and by 2007 reached 771.1. The GDP per capita (US ) in 2005 was 537.4 and 786.1 in 2007.By 2009, an improvement in the economy had the GDP per capita at 1,600.The global financial crisis together with the post-election violence experienced in the country after the 2007 general elections has slowed down economic growth. In relation to the economic structure, Kenya has a market-driven and commercial based economy. The economy has a liberalized external trade system and state-owned enterprise infrastructure. The economy relies heavily on the agricultural and tourism sectors. For instance, the agricultural sector plays a major role in the economy because they generate great revenue in the economy. An increase in investment has promoted growth in industries, an issue that has had a vital role in economic and social development. The need to increase economic and social development in the country will depend on how successful Kenya will be in achieving the MDGs.
Discussion
Kenyas Millennium Development Goals
The first millennium development goal is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. The government intends to reduce by a half the population of people who earn less than one dollar a day by 2015.As asserted in the Millennium Development Goals in Kenya article (Millennium Development Goals in Kenya, 2010), the country has in the recent past been experiencing positive development, but poverty is still a problem and hunger continues to be experienced from time to time. It is estimated that a large proportion of Kenyas rural population lives below the poverty line. The rural population relies on subsistence farming which generates little income. Currently, agricultural extension programs are yet to make great impact in the sector. Agricultural production accounts for 28 per cent of Kenyas GDP, industries 13 per cent and exports 65 per cent. Major crops that are exported include horticultural crops, tea and coffee. A Kenya Export Commodity graph (Kenya Export Commodity, 2010) shows Kenyas imports and exports from 1984 to 2005
The second millennium development goal is to achieve universal primary education whereby all children who require primary education should go to school by 2015. Before the free primary education program was introduced, many children did not go to school while others dropped out of school due to poverty and lack of government funds to support education. The government provides free primary education but corruption and embezzlement of school funds are undermining the governments efforts to provide all children with basic education. In 2006, about 7.8 million adults and young people were illiterate and the age cohort of between 15-19 years had a literacy rate of 69.1 per cent. Making basic education accessible to all children by 2015 is a millennium goal that needs to be achieved. The following graph shows Kenyas population percentage that reached the minimum mastery level as compared to the desired level in 2006
Kenyas third goal is to promote gender equality and empower women. The major target is the education sector, where gender disparity in primary and secondary schools is evident. Haugerud (Haugerud, 1995) points out that gender inequality has been experienced in almost all societies where the roles of women and men are defined. Due to traditional beliefs and culture, many young girls are denied education so that their brothers to go to school while others are married off when they reach the age of 13. The political system has contributed to the socio economic status of women by encouraging the election of a large number of men to take over political offices.
Reducing child mortality is another millennium development goal. The government aims at having the child mortality between 1990 and 2015 reduced by two thirds. Infant and child mortality is caused by poor health of mothers, diseases and lack of health facilities. Although the government has been trying to build health centers and to carry out public awareness campaigns to reduce child mortality, more needs to be done. The fifth millennium goal is to improve maternal health by having the maternity mortality ration between 1990 and 2015 reduced by three quarters. Ensuring that women get education and access health care services will go a long way in the achievement of this goal. Because malaria, HIVAIDS and other diseases are claiming many lives, the sixth millennium development goal aims at addressing this problem. HIVAIDS claims hundreds of lives each day while malaria kills many infants and children every year. A high number of AIDS victims have increased the number of orphans in the country, making HIVAIDS problem a national disaster. According to Mwaura (Mwaura, 2005), government efforts to prevent the spread of AIDS include public awareness campaigns, education and provision of health care services.
The seventh millennium development goal is to ensure that there is environmental sustainability. The government intends to achieve this goal by integrating various principles of sustainable development into government policies. There is need for the implementation of policies and programs that can reverse the destruction of environmental resources. Increasing the land area covered by forest, ensuring there is protection of natural resources from exploitation, promoting efficient energy use and reducing carbon emissions are some of the measures that are being taken to promote environmental sustainability. Kenya recognizes the need to develop a global partnership for development with other nations. This development goal can be achieved by comprehensively dealing with debts and increasing development through international and national measures as well as embracing new technology by co-operating with the private sector.
How Kenya has progressed in achieving the MDGS
Since 2000 when the Millennium development goals were set, the Kenyan government has geared up efforts that will ensure achievement of development goals. One of the ways through which the government has done this is by establishing millennium districts to acts as starting points in implementation of development strategies. About nine millennium districts were created and later increased into thirteen. These districts act as the. The government introduced Free Primary Education (FPE) program in 2003 to ensure that all children access basic primary education. According to an article on Millennium Development Goals in Kenya Needs and Costs ( Millennium Development Goals in Kenya Needs and Costs,2010),the Ministry of Planning in 2005 was involved in a needs assessment exercise to identify the most urgent needs of the people so that projects of development initiated address the needs of the people.
The government has also been increasing the proportion of funds put aside for the achievement of the MDGs.For example, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) provided to each constituency funds projects such as improvement of infrastructure, construction of schools, building and equipping of health centers as well as providing funds to sponsor the education of orphans and children from poor families. Although the CDF has made positive impact in some constituencies, mismanagement of the funds due to corruption has hindered development in some constituencies. In 2007,the government began working together with the civil society,the media and Community based organization to create advocacy about the MDGs.Workshops in various districts have been conducted to increase public awareness about the MDGs as a way of engaging citizens in achievement of the goals.Pilot development projects have been initiated and their success has been a boost to the achievement of the MDGs.For example, water projects in arid and semi-arid areas have been initiated to eradicate poverty and hunger by providing water for livestock rearing and crop production. Improvements in agriculture and fishing have been promoted by accessibility of farm inputs by farmers and agricultural extension services. To reduce child mortality and improve maternal health, health centers have been built and equipped to address the needs of the local people. To tackle the problem of HIVAIDS, the government has intensified public awareness campaigns and with assistance from the global fund provides anti-retroviral drugs to AIDS victims at an affordable cost. In order to develop global partnership for development, the government works together with non-governmental organizations, donors and international monetary funding bodies such as the IMF to initiate development.
Kenyas Millennium Development goals that may be difficult to achieve.
One of the goals that may be difficult for Kenya to achieve is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. This is because, with only five years to go, very little has being done to reduce poverty and hunger in the country. Lack of financial resources to fund poverty eradication projects and proper government policy to provide effective solutions to the problem are a milestone to the achievement of this goal. According to Ndege (Ndege, 2001), poor infrastructure in some areas makes it impossible for farmers to take their goods to the market for sale. Food insecurity due to failed crop seasons and poor farming methods needs to be addressed and plans to eradicate poverty and hunger accelerated. In addition, policies that support a development strategy that improves the living standards of the people and reduces unemployment needs to be implemented fast. The Narc government objective to create about 500,000 jobs annually has not been achieved. The Ministry of Agriculture has made efforts to support farmers but corruptions by officials who head agriculture-related associations deny farmers good benefits. To eradicate poverty and hunger in Kenya, the government needs to adopt agriculture-related policies that ensure that farm inputs are made available to farmers at affordable prices and irrigation schemes are supported. Based on statistics provided by the CIA Fact book website (Kenyas Economy 2010.CIA World Factbook, 2010), Kenyas GDP in 2009 was estimated to be US 30.21 billion while GDP purchasing power parity from 2007 to 2009 rose from 61.35 to 63.52. In 2008, the unemployment rate was at 40 per cent. Inflation in 2008 was estimated to be at 7.4 per cent while GDP per head was 640(PPP 1,640).Low industrial rate of growth has hindered the creation of employment opportunities. For instance, in 2009, industrial production growth rate was estimated to be 2 per cent. The following graph shows how various sectors have accounted for shares in the GDP from 1984 to 2005
Malawi and South Africa are two developing countries that have managed to make great progress in poverty and hunger eradication by improving the living standards of the people. Malawi has become a success story due to its increased agricultural production after the implementation of fertilizer subsidy programs. This has increased food security, improved the living standards of the people and reduced poverty. As stated in the website Malawi Subsidizing Agriculture is not enough (Malawi Subsidizing Agriculture is not enough, 2010), the fertilizer subsidy program has made the country a regional exporter. This is an indication that empowering the farmers can make it easy for parents to finance education for their children. In 2007 and 2008, the Malawian government planned on spending 51 million and 78million respectively for seeds and fertilizer subsidies. This is a measure that the Kenyan government should support. Mwakikagile (Mwakikagile, 2008) states that South Africa has managed to increase the food security and become a major exporter by ensuring that farming focuses on both subsistence and commercial farming to eradicate poverty and hunger. Well developed communications, transport, energy and financial sectors have boosted economic growth. If Kenya is to make such progress, reforms in the agricultural sector will be vital. South Africa has managed to increase its growth rate in GDP over the years and this has contributed to economic growth (South Africa Fast Facts, 2010).The following graph shows the growth rate in GDP in South Africa over the years.
Another goal that may be difficult to achieve is gender equality and empowerment of women. Initially, gender inequality in schools was high because parents who faced financial challenges chose to educate the boy child. However, the introduction of free primary education enabled many girls to be enrolled into school. Gender disparity is still experienced in the education sector in rural areas where young girls are married off. A good example is the Maasai Community where adolescent girls are married off before they complete their primary education. Kenyan women lack equal opportunities to compete with men for political leadership positions. In the past, women who have aspired to run for presidency have been criticized and intimidated. Only a small number of women are elected to become members of the national assembly. Robert (Robert, 2006) asserts that men leaders are to blame for failing to give their support to policies that increase gender equality. Due to these reasons, ensuring that there is gender equality in all the sectors of development will be a great challenge for Kenya. Gender equality and empowerment of women can be accelerated through the implementation of government policies that demand all children be enrolled in schools and harsh penalties for parents who marry off their daughter at an early age. Ensuring that there is environmental sustainability may be another great challenge for the government. Over-exploitation of natural resources, environmental pollution and emission of industrial wastes into the environment has led to environmental degradation and human encroachment in protected areas. Political interference in conservation matters leads to environmental degradation. Policies that ensure that environmental conservation go hand in hand with sustainable development need to be implemented urgently to accelerate the achievement of this goal.
The reduction of child mortality rate by 2015 may be difficult due to the slow social and economic growth experienced in the country. Children require good living conditions and good health in order to combat killing diseases such as malaria and pneumonia. Poverty and hunger eradication policies need to be implemented to improve child health. Because the issue of HIVAIDS is related to poverty and gender discrimination, addressing the problem requires the government to be engaged in efforts that tackle poverty and empower women to combat the spread of HIV. South Africa has made progress in fighting HIVAIDS despite the high rate of infection in the country. To address the problem, proper health care services are provided to AIDS patients and public awareness campaigns to support AIDS education have received great support. A strong legislature should be put into place to oversee the initiation and implementation of development policies. According to the CIA-The World Fact book about Germany (CIA-The World Factbook, 2010), Germany is one of the developed countries that has managed to become an economic powerhouse in Europe through social and economic development. Gender equity in Germany has been achieved since there is gender equality in education, employment and leadership. Maternal health has been improved by the countrys good health system and education is accessible to everyone.
Conclusion
Kenyas Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aim at promoting development and sustainable management of resources the country. Although efforts to woo investors who create job opportunities have been made in developing countries such as Kenya, high levels of unemployment have pushed people to poverty. Developing countries experience great challenges that have become a milestone in efforts to development. While some countries have made progress in achieving the MDGs, others are still lagging behind. Kenya has made some progress in achieving some of the goals, but more needs to be done.