konza city is expected to spur massive trade and investment as well as creation of thousands of jobs for a plethora of Kenyans in the ICT sector.The ambitious $14.5 billion plan endorsed by the Kenyan government in spite of the divisive politics — covers approximately 5000-acres and roughly 30km from Nairobi — will be achieved by 2030.
In an effort to mitigate congestion in Uganda’s capital,Kampala,or to compete with Kenya’s Konza city plan,the government plans to build a modern city on an expansive piece of virgin land in karuma,some 300 kilometres north of kampala.Its strategic location,too,would spur growth into a viable and self-sustaining city.The project would initially cost $ 4.6 million over three years.According to former UN Habitat executive director, Ms Anna Tibaijuka;Karuma would be one of the world’s “best planned” cities.
Much as it will take konza 20 years to attain full growth,it will take karuma 3 years.Many bottlenecks are involved in this;the quest to eat(euphemism for swindling) public resources by kenyan top public servants since independence in 1963,has greatly held back Kenya’s great development plans.Notably,the longer the time frame of a project,the higher the percentage of funds leakage.The notorious mantra to the public purse of “kwani pesa ni ya mamako?” translated as “Do the funds belong to your mother?” loosely means to plunder resources as there is no one to account to.
The news of oil discovery in Turkana,north-west of kenya(near Uganda) rings a bell in the “strategic” location of karuma in Northern Uganda.This subliminal proximity difference will be accommodated by railway line that stretches from Pakwach via Busia to Kenya or even break-neck speed through air transport for example the Chinese backed recalibration of the existing dilapidated kenya-Uganda railway line at an estimated cost of $ 2.6 billion is going to promote easier transportation of bigger loads at faster speeds — up to 125 km/hr compared to 25 km/hr at the moment.The conspiracy doesn’t get any worse.
It’s way beyond the ICT war raving between Kenya and Uganda that is promoting the planning of these cities,neither is it about Migingo or showing off a higher financial muscle.Its an interplay of multitudes of tactical moves by Uganda.Bottom-line karuma will be the Robert Oppenheimer wreck of Konza in a pearl habor attack employed as a scotch gambit.
Yet another fool’s day prank.Happy Easter Monday,Christ is risen!