Provincial
Land key to Coast economy, says Raila
Prime Minister Raila Odinga after opening a two-day investment conference for Coast Province at Travellers Beach Hotel in Mombasa on Monday. He blamed land speculators for hindering investment in the region by hoarding huge but idle tracts. Other obstacles to investment were poor roads and dilapidated ferries. With the PM is the conference chairman, Mr Fred Mweni (right). Photo/Laban Walloga
Posted Monday, January 25 2010 at 20:00
On Monday, Mr Odinga said that although Kenya had the land, it lacked the capital to develop it.
“If an investor or foreign country wants to get land and invest in agriculture they should not be denied because at the end of the day it is the local people who will benefit,” he said.
While the Coast region was rich in human, natural and historical resources, the PM said it was shocking that majority of the people remained poor.
East African Cooperation minister Amerson Kingi asked investors to think beyond the Coast and take advantage of the various protocols that will open up the East African region to development.
He said the countries in the region had finalised the various protocols among them the customs union and the common market that would make movement of people, goods and services much easier across the five countries.
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