The Kenyan Agrarian Revolution

The Kenyan agrarian revolution was a deliberate undertaking facilitated by the government of Kenya. It also took spontaneous turns and a unique developmental direction that was applauded by many a pundit. Kenya was not going to be the first country in Africa to grow from a food deficient and insecure nation to an agricultural powerhouse, food secure and an exporter. Many countries had done it before us, but no national agricultural program could have been said to be as organic, both in its implementation and coordination.

The Kenyan agrarian revolution was kicked off by a nationwide registration of farmers and their farms. Farmer’s registration included their personal details and contacts, farming experience and access to government services. Whereas farm registration included the acreage, farming history, soil characteristics, past production, access to dams, irrigation and power supply. This allowed the government to understand the farming community and plan proper intervention strategies. This was followed by the digitization of this information for both government and public sector consumption. The government used this information for more efficient government services such as seed and fertilizer supply whereas the private sector used the information to advice their investment in the agricultural sector.

The registration and digitization of agricultural data was followed and in some cases aligned to other nationwide initiatives such as community driven dam and well construction programs. The community would provide the land and the labor while the government would provide the machinery to dig and construct these wells and dams. Water from these dams and wells still needed to get to peoples farms, so the government rolled out a rural water piping and irrigation program. This program allowed for farmers to access untaxed cheap piping and irrigation materials, developmental loans to farmers to pipe or irrigate their farms. In just over a year, a new dam was being constructed every month, in every county in Kenya and one well in every ward every day. Our water supply and irrigation network could not be rivaled by any in the world.

In line to bringing government services closer to the people, agricultural based one stop centers were also opened in all major agricultural districts. A farmer did not need to register in one place, buy subsidized seeds and fertilizer in another place and yet in a different place have his soil sample tested. Now all government agricultural based services and products could be accessed in one place. This included information on best practices and training on the same. One could also apply for loans from the agricultural finance corporation, for government sponsored dams and wells, hire farm machinery etc. Later on these centers would act as ready market for farm produce where government and private sector would compete for farm produce.

The Kenyan agrarian revolution could not have been a success if it was not for the mechanization of the agricultural sector. This was from a deliberate move by both the government and the private sector to invest in acquiring, hiring and leasing of farm equipments. It was only when a farmer could hire say a tractor to till his 3 acre land just as easily as large scale farmers could lease the same tractor that we knew we were headed somewhere. This mechanization extended to value addition of farm produce right at the farm by farmers, before using the available marketing and supply chains to sell their processed produce.

The challenge of marketing farm produce saw the introduction of new and innovative channels to reinforce traditional ones. This was mainly driven by technology. Web and mobile applications made it possible for a fast food restaurant in Nairobi order a sack of potato directly from a farmer in Nyahururu.  A farmer could sell his produce and shop for farm inputs on the same platform. It’s no surprise that the government agenda to interest and inspire youths to venture into farming was a success. The planning, implementation and sustainability of the Kenyan agrarian revolution rested on the innovation, energy and human capital of the Kenyan youths. 

How Kenya Cheated Ebola

In the year 2014 there was an Ebola epidemic that ravished some countries in West Africa. When the rest of Africa considered their overstretched health infrastructure, they knew that it was going to get worse before it gets any better. They prayed that the virus doesn’t reach their country or hoped that it doesn’t, and if it does it infects others and not us. Within months the health infrastructure of the affected countries had literally collapsed. This was compounded by the characteristic lethargic response of the international community to humanitarian emergencies in Africa.  Now the Ebola virus had without a visa or invitation found its way to Western Europe and North America. Seven months down and Ebola had not reached Kenya, but its fear had. If left unchecked the fear of Ebola would have been worse than Ebola itself. For from fear rumors spread, misinformation abounds and lies become facts. Kenya cheated Ebola by hoping for the best, preparing for the worst and elaborate protocols to face the threat of Ebola.

There was no expert in fighting Ebola and everyone was vulnerable. From the poorest and conflict ridden countries in Africa to the most developed western country. In Spain a plane load of passengers is quarantined for fear that one of the passengers might be infected but fails a nurse who was not supervised as she took her protective gear off. In North America an Ebola patient is left unattended for hours in an emergency reception area and several nurses are left to attend an Ebola infected person without protective gear. Remember this is after the medical authorities in these countries had sent memo after memo on Ebola to hospitals. How many memos have been sent in Kenya to hospitals and neighborhood clinics on Ebola? When a patient from South Sudan is suspected of being sick, her plane is not quarantined, she is not met by an Ebola emergency unit complete with protective gear and worse still, the other passengers on the plane cannot be traced. It is in the backdrop of this that the ministry of health was compelled to not only act but be seen to act. 

The Kenyan fight against Ebola was led by the military! This is because of the discipline, precision and organizational integrity that was required to effectively vanquish any Ebola threat. 

Potential players in the fight against Ebola were identified, from major hospitals to neighborhood clinics, from doctors to nurses, the military to the police and National Youth Service, from ambulance drivers to mortuary attendants, flight attendants to matatu touts, community health workers to Kenya Red Cross and international agencies, mainstream media and social media alike. Individuals from all these areas were carefully picked to form a coordinated technical team, bringing all this stakeholders under one command in matters Ebola. This technical team oversaw the creation of an emergency response procedure, logistics and supplies systems, tracking of infection spread and all other containment protocols. It was tasked with coming up with communication tools, facilitating a coordinated information flow. This team also constituted an emergency response unit as first responders, complete with their own ambulance, a designated and equipped quarantine facility on stanby, a media briefing team and training manuals for the different players. They also supervised the training, simulation and onsite drills at airports, hospitals, malls etc. 

Of course a Kenyan triumph over a national challenge would not be complete without an ICT based solution and the fight against Ebola was no different. The ministry of health sponsored a web and mobile based application to spread reliable information from the top and gather feedback from the public as well. The application also allowed for real-time tracking of an Ebola spread and awareness of the same. For example availability of the information from a patient of where they have been, people they had been in contact with and a time log of activities as well. This info would be uploaded for public consumption and the public would respond by logging their own activities as well to see if it corresponds with a particular place like a mall or matatu that the patient had been. So the public were fully aware if they had been in the same place, at the same time and date with an infected person and if so seek help early. 

Ebola was not just a deadly disease, it’s the deathly stigma associated with it, its attack on social customs and traditions. Its annihilation of a countries health infrastructure, Ebola was an economic catastrophe to countries and had just as crucial implication on security. It was therefore important to wake up to reality and be ready for any scenario. That anyone infected, whose not exhibiting any  symptoms could just walk through a border point, that they might first seek help from a chemist or a neighborhood dispensary before going to a hospital, might call an ambulance or walk into an emergency room while highly infectious, board a crowded matatu or boda boda. That Ebola might be in Kenya for weeks before we even realize it’s here. That fighting Ebola is just as much countering fears, rumors and misinformation with the truth and facts. It’s about minimizing panic with foreknowledge and readiness, potential chaos with calm, collected and confident approach.