Section 3 Creating a Productive and Growing 24-Hour Economy

The Kenyan economy shows one of the greatest paradoxes of our time: the paradox of poverty amidst plenty. Kenya is endowed with tremendous riches, virtues, and fortunes, in the form of natural resource and human capital. The bounty with which God has blessed the country is ample and gracious and the economy is capable of a much better performance than is seen today. However, the country has generally had leadership that has selfishly and recklessly squandered national resources and opportunities and failed to help wananchi to realize their enormous potential. A higher growth rate – whenever achieved – has been neither sustainable nor pro-poor.

ODM-Kenya recognizes that the Kenyan economy is capable of growing considerably faster than it has done in the past. The country has not so far shown ambition to take advantage of our unique regional competitive advantage. We have to begin to think long-term.

Furthermore, ODM-K will engage key government departments, economists, trade unions, the private sector and business representatives in order to evaluate the country’s economic growth and, most importantly, formulate new plans to raise the rate of economic growth and enhance sustainability.

ODM-K is also committed to thrusting Kenya into the category of Newly Industrialized Countries, based on high productivity in all economic sectors and a high, 2-digit sustainable economic growth rate. This goal will be achieved through:

i. Optimal capacity utilization in tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, other service sectors, and the informal sectors through encouragement of new investment and expansion of existing enterprises

ii. Provision of market incentives through fair pricing policies and the use of local inputs so to increase returns on investment

iii. Reduction of administrative bottlenecks in business through elimination of obsolete bureaucratic red-tape, investment control and unnecessary regulation procedures

iv. Establishment of backward and forward linkages so as to create an integrated national economy

v. Promotion of research and development and revitalization and expansion of extension services