Did Ndemo say when the ground breaking will take place?

The last time i checked students taking KCSE had an were examined computer courses. This is a project spanning to the year 2030. More is being done thats why there are calls to revamp the education sector.

Why are you assuming there is no commitment? So far 18 unis want the science edu park. Here is an example of the Korean version http://en.wikipedia.org/...ngbuk_Free_Economic_Zone

@madhaquer..true

Tax payer money at Treasury is wealth generated from production by Kenyans.

Ministry of Info buying land from the same Kenyans using their money =zero sum to the economy.

Ministry of Info can only increase tax payer amount if it sells the land to foreigners=FDI.

By selling to foreigners, this becomes an EPZ model.

Silicon valley developed when citizens created wealth from ICT production.
Konza can only develop when Kenyan citizens create wealth through ICT innovation.

In an EPZ model, Konza will only assist other multinationals in creating their wealth by offering cheap labour,land e.t.c.

Assisting multinationals to create their wealth through efficient productivity results in Kenyan ICT companies facing stiff competition .

Its akin to scoring an own goal.

No country in the world has ever developed by assisting other countries to create wealth.

Countries develop when they create wealth.

Wealth is created when a country ensures factors of production, including land are low to its citizens.


Kenyans employed by Multinationals at Konza will only earn low pea nut wages hence no gain to the economy.

Multinationals will always find a way to repatriate their profits.

Ndemo should come out clear and tell us how the country intends to gain from inviting Multinationals if the model is based on EPZ.

If the Konza model is based on the Silicon Valley model, Ndemo should tell us how production costs will be reduced for kenyan ICT industry for them to be successful.

Also, its not clear on how Ministry of Info will recoup money spent on the project eg buying land, infrastructure costs when Multinationals work within the EPZ model and are leased the land at cost.

As described below by Mason Gaffney,It seems its a global problem whereby Land Economists are not taught how to integrate financial economics and vice versa.

In Konza city, Ministry of Info is therefore left without proper advisory apart from Worldbank/IFC economists hence tax payer loss.


Mason Gaffney below describes it as some kind of conspiracy.

I describe it as an opportunity for a new subject/profession which can develop into a major career to be taught in universities,similar to land economics.

http://www.wealthandwant...cs/Gaffney_LaaDFoP.html

here is a subdiscipline called "Land Economics," and a journal of that name. There are journals of Agricultural Economics, Urban Economics, Regional Science, Environmental Economics, Natural Resources, and more.
The subdisciplines are kept away from the "core" and "mainstream" of economic thinking by compartmentalization and colonialization.

Patronizing "land economics" as a colonial discipline keeps potentially contagious movements within the empire, where they can absorb critical tendencies under watchful control, while yet remaining safely remote, in the outskirts of the system. Orthodoxy flows out from the core, communicated via mandatory "core courses." Land economics is banished from the "commanding heights" of money and banking, macropolicy, and required "basic" courses in methodology and micro theory.

@jamplu..true.
Lets use the situation to brainstorm and hope that the knowledge can be utilized in other sectors of the economy.

Its now clear that there is no clear branch of knowledge/education that brings land economics together with Financial economics. Most of the knowledge will have to be self-generated.

We can therefore not blame Ministry of Info for such complex land investments vis a vis the economy.

In the concept of Govt buying land from its citizens then selling it back, hypothetically speaking, what would prevent the Govt from agreeing on the sale price, signing the sale contract then printing kes 1 b at central bank/de la rue ?

This will cause inflation of the same ammount hence sellers will hold kes 1 b without as much value as in the case when they sell to a private entity who has no access to the central bank.

These could be the reasons that in capitalist economies, Govt is not supposed to compete with citizens in biz coz it has an upper hand.

@alma..good to know you are a land economist.

The world needs land economists like you who are brave enough to think outside the 'land' box into 'financial' economics as Mason Gaffney here says.
http://www.wealthandwant...cs/Gaffney_LaaDFoP.html

I remember Prof. Kiamba too in the days when he was Dean, College of Arch & Eng.

Ministry of Info has hired the advisory services of Worldbank/IFC.

The best they can advice Ministry of Info is what we are seeing.

Economics 101 teaches that countries develop when they create wealth. Wealth can only be created through efficient production.

Nurturing ICT talent into new products is the most economical way to create wealth as opposed to inviting multinationals then gaining from employment.
The iHubs and other hubs will create more wealth into the country than Konza city in the long run.

@murchr..true. I hope my arguments can be used to make the world a better place and reduce poverty in developing countries.
In the South Korea park, the 'cities' are several km apart and each is around 200 acres in size[smaller than Kitengela EPZA].


The Kitengela EPZ site has around 500acres vacant. This is not small land. This can be phase 1 and we can have phase 100 or as many phases as sustainable in future[thinking big in a sustainable manner].

By doing so, we will have freed kes 1B tax payer money to be used to lay ICT infrastructure which will result in productivity.

This makes sense to me and its my hope that such an idea can be used by Ministry of Info for the beterment of Kenya as a whole.

On the issue of Govt buying land and reselling to its citizens, my humble opinion is that it could just print the money and cause inflation.
Land owners will not be in a capacity to prevent this. So its not moral for Govt to engage in business since it can potentially be unfair for the citizens.

If govt buys more land, it hampers productivity because land becomes scarce, so its price rises.
When price rises, start-ups will be priced out and will not be able to produce wealth.

Rents will be high hence products will also be expensive . Other countries with cheaper cost of production will thrive at our expense.

This opinion is not cast in stone. If you give a contrary opinion that is convincing, then we will go with your opinion.

Now that the I B is already spent, its important to debate and see if other options can be available especially for future similar projects.

In Isiolo, Govt can acquire as much land as they can since most productivity is in Nairobi.

When Govt acquires land, it becomes scarce since land is a finite resource. This scarcity leads to cost increase. Cost increase leads to cost of productivity going up. Productivity cost rise affects investors since their goods and services are un-affordable/over priced.

Opportunity to create wealth is best provided by saving the KES I Billion and redirecting it into ICT infrastructure or ICT inventors/start up funding or ICT education e.t.c

Govt buying land then reselling to Multinationals or citizens does not increase productivity.

In the long term, towns grow into cities over time e.g Nairobi started with River road and over time, buildings have been demolished,zones rezoned to accommodate the growing city.
In the long term, Nairobi will grow towards Mombasa road past Syokimau and join Machakos,Konza and Kajiado. This is sustainable growth if proper planning ,infrastructure and zoning is done.

For me I don't care what good or bad intentions gov't has.

Gov't should not participate in actively buying and selling land. Beats all purposes for it leasing land to individuals anyway. That's why they have forced acquisitions, where they have to show a need for a project.

Once you allow gov't to buy land from A and sell/lease to B, you have entered the slippery slope of gov't redistributing wealth from those it deems not worthy.

Re-distribution of wealth by gov't should be greatly discouraged. It means that they can come and buy my plot and sell it to Kamau simply because he's a friend to the gov't.

So at the onset the project has economic and moral issues attached.

But I'm still waiting for this ICT component. Everyone still wants to skip it. It is supposed to be the heart of the project, but no one wants to show us the steps this ministry is taking towards growing ICT.

If you mention another awards ceremony or another conference I will know you are not getting the point.

@alma,listen to Prof Kiamba here

http://www.youtube.com/w...LafU&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/w...4FTE&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDd8QAD7toI