This is a great move.
However just like any other popular move done by govts to improve the life of the masses i hope it wont end up failing because of lack of planning.
I hope they have already looked into the following:
Who will drive the tractors? Employees of the local govt or farmers themselves watajipanga and get own driver?
Who will fuel the tractors?
Who will repair/provide spares?
What is the criteria ya kulimiwa na hio tractor? Must you have a minimum acrerage? must you be registered in a farmers cooperative?
Nani atalipia insurance ya hio tractor?
What accessories come with the tractor? Plough only? Or is there harrow plough, trailer ya kubeba mizigo, planter, maize sheller, combined harvester, grass cutter, baler, etc?
Additionally the local govt i hope has a metric for success of the project.
Governor Alfie Mutua huko machakos did a similar thing in his first term.
Those days i was doing some farming in that county.
My observations:
The only service offered was ploughing which was to be free of charge. The plough type available was the 3 disc plough. No other option was available
Despite the service being free you had to pay the driver ya macho.
After refueling the tractor was immediately driven to a ‘hidden’ location inakamuliwa kamu kamu.
If you wanted the service then you had to pay both the driver and buy fuel.
Any damage that seemed to be expensive to repair caused the tractor to stay idle for weeks or months. SMall small repairs were done by the driver for he was the one benefitting the most
The tractor always had a minimum of 5 hangers-on. These were idlers who spent the day wakibebwa tu na tractor.
I have no idea what the current status of the tractors is. But last time i checked private tractors were the ones tilling people’s lands.
The good thing out of such initiatives is the exposure created, at teh end of the day people cant demand what they don’t know of - at least when people realize tractors improve efficiency on farms kidogo kidogo wanaanza kuuliza maswali, it will take time but I think it was a move in the right direction. At least as you mention the private tractors have benefited from that which is not a bad thing.
