Kenya could spend years setting ambitious development targets only to fall short if corruption continues to drain resources meant for major national projects, Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has warned.
He said the country’s plans under Vision 2030 and the longer-term Vision 2060 agenda will have little impact unless public money is protected and those responsible for misuse of funds are held to account.
Speaking on Thursday, Maanzo said Kenya has the land and resources needed to transform its economy but continues to lose opportunities because of corruption.
He singled out the Galana-Kulalu food security project, saying it offered Kenya a chance to increase agricultural production, improve food supplies and create wealth.
Maanzo said he had previously been involved in parliamentary oversight of the project while serving in the National Assembly and sitting on the Agriculture Committee. He recalled that the committee visited the project and later prepared a report on its implementation.
“We have enough land, we have the resources, but corruption kills this country,” Maanzo said.
According to the senator, the failure of the project represented more than the loss of money, as Kenya also missed the chance to build a stronger food production system and reduce pressure on the country’s finances.
He said large sums had been committed to the project through both domestic and international borrowing, yet the expected results were not realised.
“This is a project where we had put in a lot of money, and out of that, you know, we did not achieve our goal because of corruption,” he said.
Maanzo also raised questions over accountability, claiming that some individuals connected to the project had not been prosecuted despite the problems surrounding its implementation.
He further alleged that some of those officials continued to hold positions in government.
The senator said Kenya would be in a better position to meet its development needs if public investments in agriculture were completed properly and delivered the returns expected from them.
He argued that increased agricultural output could give the country enough food for local consumption while creating products for export and generating more national wealth.
“If that had been done very well, we would be marketing, we would have enough food for ourselves, we would be marketing, and we would be growing the sovereign wealth of the country without borrowing,” he said.
Maanzo said the country had instead fallen into a pattern of raising loans without ensuring that the projects receiving the money produce enough value.
“Now, we are only borrowing to have money to steal,” Maanzo said.
He warned that continuing along that path would make it difficult for Kenya to meet the goals contained in its long-term development plans.
“If you don’t address corruption, all these visions are useless, and the country can only actually end up in a revolution,” he said.
Maanzo said the Galana-Kulalu experience should serve as a warning as Kenya moves beyond Vision 2030 and considers its development ambitions towards 2060.
He called for stronger checks on public spending, greater transparency in the execution of national projects and action against officials accused of abusing public resources.
For Maanzo, Kenya’s ability to achieve its development targets will depend not only on the plans it creates, but also on how effectively it protects the resources set aside to implement them.