This archive report was first published on 25 July 2021.
July 21, 2021, marked a significant moment in Kenya's economic development as Raila Odinga, the former Prime Minister, shared his vision for transforming rural areas and developing local industries.
According to Odinga, the key to achieving this vision lies in focusing on transforming rural areas and developing skills. He believes that with just a little support, rural Kenya can produce purely homegrown 'Made in Kenya' products.
One county that Odinga highlighted as a prime example of this potential is Kwale. Generations of communities in Msambweni, Matuga, and Lunga Lunga constituencies have grown coconuts, producing coconut oil and coconut milk for local consumption.
However, the opportunity to create industries out of coconut production was lost due to a lack of support for local skills and rural industries. Today, the coconut milk in Kenyan supermarkets is imported from Thailand, while over 80% of Kwale's coconuts are bought by Tanzanians at a low price of between Sh6-10.
Coconut husks can produce fine ropes, and coconut tree leaves can produce fine brooms, but these products do not bear the 'Made in Kenya' label. Kwale is also known for cashews, Bixa, mangoes, oranges, tuna, sandstone tiles, and sandstone ballast, among other products.
Locals have always known how to make use of these products at a domestic level, but without investment in and development of those skills, no industries emerged, and no 'Made in Kenya' products grew. The result has been poverty, with various studies indicating that between 54% and 70% of the population in Kwale lives below the poverty line.
Odinga's vision is to drastically turn this around by developing homegrown skills that have enabled these people to exploit these products and create factories producing 'Made in Kenya' products. He believes that every part of Kenya has a product that, with just a little investment in local skills and rural infrastructure, could be turned into an industry employing locals and producing 'Made in Kenya' products.
Re. Hon. Raila Odinga, EGH
