Could Africa be negotiating a sharp corner

By Regina Wokabi

If you think that what we have had to go through the past : terrorist attacks ,tribal wars ,killings like those of Tana Delta ,Baragoi and the ongoing in Maralal, Laikipia, Kenya  was bad, then you can’t imagine what the future holds for our children.

“What is happening now, is merely a dress rehearsal of what is going to happen in Africa over the rest of the century,” observes Howard French, a professor at Columbia.

The population of Africa is growing rapidly, but not growing in prosperity. Our governments have become lousy at planning and taking care of the people and our environments changing for the worse, losing the capacity to support this growing population.

Research on Africa’s population has is that at the turn of this century, it’s population will be two billion, more than the current population of China and India combined.

Nigeria, an unstable country where militia are slaughtering innocents will have, let us say double its current population.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, whose government has never quite succeeded in imposing authority on its vast territory, will be a country of more than 200 million lingala-singing souls, up from the current 71 million.

Finally, the Sahel region; that is Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso which has roughly 71 million of the most illiterate and poor on earth, will have tripled the population.

The issue of concern is that if the governments can’t take care of 71 million people today, by what miracle of transformation will they be able take care of 400 million? What do we see in our countries today ? So by what miracle does a country which is suffering state failure hope to take care of a population even twice it?

It is a warning to governments which are thinking short-term and which are not investing in the stability and endurance of national institution.

Let’s borrow a leaf from China, a nation that has a population of a billion and a half. Controlling them keeping order, maintaining a positive attitude of patriotism, unity and keeping them marching in one.

Elephants destroy farm produce in Kaharati

By Alice Waigura and Bob Aston

Residents of Kaharati village in Sipili Division, Laikipia County, are counting losses after a group of eight (8) elephants from Lariak Forest, strayed into their farms and destroyed crops on Monday night. 

 

Geoffrey accessing the damage done by the elephants

The elephants are said to have come out of the forest at around 10:00 pm. Residents tried to scare them away by shouting and using sport lights and lights from motorbikes.

The farm of Geoffrey Njuguna was badly affected. He had planted cabbages, kales, sugarcane and oranges in his farm. Most of his crops were destroyed except a few cabbages and oranges. He had invested more than Ksh 40,000 in the farm to plant the cabbages alone.

“I was planning to harvest on Friday then I take my cabbages to Sipili on Saturday during the market. I will not be able to do so, now that the elephants have destroyed everything,” said Geoffrey.

 

Some of the bananas destroyed

The elephants are said to have spent the better part of the night in the area eating farm produce. The residents allege that the elephants normally come out of the forest every time when they are about to harvest.

“I am still confused. All my investments have been destroyed. I do not know what I will do next,” said Geoffrey.

The village elder was also not spared either. John Kamau had his bananas and maize destroyed. He had harvested his maize and stored it in a granary but the elephants destroyed the granary and cleared all the maize.

 

“I usually depend on maize and bananas to feed my family. The elephants ate most of my bananas and maize which I had harvested and stored in my granary for my family upkeep,” said Kamau.

 

Cases of elephants invading farms during harvest periods has been on the rise in the area. Most of the residents say that the elephants normally come out at night when most of them go to sleep.