LAND SCARCITY A FOOL’S MENTALITY.
Kenya has a land size of 581,309 km2 and a population of about 45 million. Compare that with Japan’s land size of 377,944 km2 and a population of 127 million or even Rwanda with land size 26,338 km2 and a population of 11 million.
Japan’s land size is equal to that of 11 counties namely; Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir, Garissa, Tana river, Mandera, Isiolo, Kitui, Kajiado, Homabay and Tharaka Nithi 377,833km2 combined land size.
Rwanda land size is equal to Mandera and Vihiga counties which has 26,329km2 land area.
Even the United Kingdom with 242,495 km2 is just equal to 5 Kenyan counties namely Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir, Garissa and Kericho which total to 242,536km2. Even Germany with 357,168 km2 is equal to just 9 counties Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir, Garissa, Tana river, Mandera, Isiolo, Kitui and Meru which total 357,906km2.
The above examples make nonsense out of the ‘land scarcity narrative’.
In 2016, Real estate firm Diamond Property Merchants was crowned the winner of the ninth edition of the Business Daily -KPMG’s Top 100 Mid-Sized Companies’ annual survey. This should worry any individual interested in the growth of Kenya’s economy.
Now, when plot selling firms are the ones winning awards, the goose is cooked! Where are the innovators, manufacturers and those firms that add real value other than selling God given gifts through speculation!
Over dependence on land as the main vehicle of investment has led to uninnovative economy. Everyone with a few shillings to spare is dumping it on land with a speculative hope that the value will increase exponentially. Ideally nobody wants to invest in innovative products which could quickly spur economic growth.
It is because of this fool’s mentality that people are grabbing land like the world is coming to an end. Real estate is one sector where proceeds from corruption are cleansed and recycled into the economy. This is why the real estate sector makes no sense even to the most hardened of economic analyst.
Every ‘Chama’ or investment group in Kenya only think of land investment as an avenue of capital multiplication. We no longer think of other alternatives to wealth creation. Land has turned into a factor of speculation instead of the factor of production it is meant to be.
Land gambling is no way to build a sustainable economy.
KANU TUKO FRESH. SENATOR LAIKIPIA COUNTY 2017.
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