Dickie Evans is a major investor in the Kenyan Horticulture industry. His company employs thousands of Kenyans directly. Recently he wrote a letter to the press on his opinion on the current so-called economic boom and record GDP growth figures.
We reproduce the letter that this CEO of the Homegrown group wrote concerning the Kenyan economy.
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Booming Economy?
What a pleasure it is to wake up every morning in Kenya and open your newspaper to see that the country is enjoying an economic boom where growth is five per cent annually and getting stronger.
However is this the same place where;
• There has not been a significant new investor creating jobs in the key economy sector of agriculture for years?
• The tea, coffee, sisal and horticulture sectors which were thriving in 2002 are being destroyed by an over-valued exchange rate and it is clear that the government is interfering in the exchange rates?
• Major existing investors in horticulture are mechanising, selling their farms, shedding jobs and moving elsewhere (Ethiopia, South Africa), but doing it quietly so that they don’t get publicity?
• Although visitors/tourists have increased significantly, the ridiculous exchange rate means investors are earning less than in 200r when tourism was much less, as were costs?
“Busy fools” is the expression of a leading respected hotelier.
• The top tax payers are the beer company and the cellphone business – what an indictment on an economic policy where neither industry creates jobs.
The current propaganda about a booming economy would be humorous if it was not so serious. There are no jobs; there are no investors; who is kidding who?
As a cabinet minister said recently ‘but our school fees overseas are now cheaper with a strong shilling.”
Ah – so that’s the reason! Must have been something I missed.
I look forward to waking up tomorrow in this booming economy and spending all day trying to save 7,000 jobs.
DICKY EVANS
CEO
Flamingo-Homegrown Group
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Hi
ReplyDeleteIn which paper was his ltter published? Howver, the mobile sector has created numerous jobs.
Jobs created in the mobile sector? This is not a labour intensive industry as you must know, that is why it is so profitable in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThe letter has been published in several publications including the Daily Nation letters to the Editor.
What is beingsaid here is that the netresultis that we arelosing many morejobs than we are purporting to be creating.