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Introduction to Kenya
The Republic of Kenya is a Sub-Saharan country located in the East of the African continent. As a country, Kenya has a population of about forty-one million people a majority of whom are below the poverty line.
Mwega (2009), states that the nation has shown significant economic growth in the recent past but still relies heavily on donor funding to finance most of its development agendas. Kenya has benefited from multiple projects funded by international lending institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) among other lenders.
Development Funds
International lending organizations have significantly contributed towards social, economic as well as political development in Kenya. Kenya has received numerous donations from IMF and the World Bank with an aim of aiding the country to shape its macroeconomic policies as well as alleviate poverty levels in pursuant of the set development agendas (Mwega, 2009). Kenya uses funds from international lending organizations to establish programs leading to socio-economic development in Kenya.
For example, the World Bank provided funds for the rural electrification project. The project has contributed significantly towards the establishment of multiple home based industries that contribute towards economic development. The project has also seen a big number of Kenyan households acquire electricity as a source of energy leading to social development and improved quality of life.
There has been growth in other areas of Kenya’s economic sectors such as agriculture as a result of the funds provided by international lending partners. One of the most notable projects is focused on the improvement of agricultural extension services with an aim of raising the yields of small-scale rural farmers (Mwega, 2009).
The project enabled farmers to identify new farming practices with better outcomes and higher yields. Other funded activities included research activities aimed at developing drought-resistant crops and improved farming methods. Other funds were used to train farmers and enable them form organizations to market their products.
Kenya’s education sector has also significantly benefited from projects financed by international lending organizations. The funds have been used to support projects such as free primary education as well as partially subsidize the secondary school fees.
As a result of the projects financed by the international lending organizations, Kenya has seen a growth in the percentage of children accessing free basic education (Somerset, 2009). As such, there is an improvement in literacy levels creating a general population with a higher proportion of persons endowed with skilled labor.
Kenya’s political development has also been spearheaded through funds obtained from international lending organizations. Ghai (2011) argues that one of the most notable political developments in Kenya is the establishment of the multiparty governance system. The country was initially a one party country with no political competition and limited choices for the electorate during national elections.
Through voter education projects initiated by funds from international lending organizations, the populace was able to agitate for constitutional changes leading to the end of the single-party rule. Most recently, Kenya has been able to adopt a new constitution resulting in the adoption of a new form of governance with two levels of government namely the national government and the county government (Ghai, 2011). As such, Kenya’s populace enjoys a better representation in development matters.
Economic Contribution of a Healthy Population
Health is an economic product that has a significant input in the achievement of Kenya’s development objectives. According to Thuku et al., (2013) one of the ways that Kenya has benefited is through reduced absenteeism from work seeking healthcare. Kenya has experienced improved productivity as a result of having a healthy populace (Thuku, Gachanja & Obere, 2013).
By using funds from the development partners, Kenya has managed to establish programs to take of care persons with diseases that weigh heavily on the economy such as HIV/Aids. For example, such programs that were developed in the western region of Kenya have led to a reduction in the percentage of time spent by family members taking care of sick relatives. As such, the sick person’s relatives are free to engage in economic activities.
Secondly, increased access to healthcare in Kenya has led to an improvement in learning. Healthy children can devote a bigger percentage of their time pursuing academic goals and focusing on school work. The return benefit is that the country’s human capital grows as more and more people can acquire an education.
The growth of human capital has a direct contribution in spurring economic growth in Kenya and other developing economies (Thuku et al., 2013). As a result of the malaria programs financed through the funds obtained from international bodies, Kenyan children spend less time seeking healthcare and more time participating in learning activities.
Kenya has also realized a reduction in the treatment burden on its economy as a result of using a substantial amount of money to finance preventative healthcare activities. For example, there have been numerous campaigns on the maternal healthcare in Kenya with the aim of getting pregnant women to attend antenatal clinics (Thuku et al., 2013).
The amount of money spent in the antenatal clinic is minimal as compared to the quantity of money that is used taking care of mothers who develop complications. As such, Kenya cuts down on the amount spent on healthcare.
Kenya’s investment in sexual and reproductive health has resulted in economic development which is a function of the reduced family size. Thuku et al., (2013) argues that a reduction in family sizes leads to a situation where a country has a higher number of workers compared to the number of dependants.
The result is an increase of savings both at the family and the national level. As such the country has enough reserve funds to finance development project while at the same time cutting down on expenditure. The government of Kenya has used a substantial amount of money to provide subsidized family planning methods for the citizens.
Kenya’s leadership has significantly employed funds from international lending organizations such as the IMF and the World Bank to finance healthcare. As a developing country, Kenya’s health system is burdened by multiple diseases ranging from communicable to non-communicable categories (Turin, 2010). Like most developing nations, Kenya has many competing demands and as such provision of healthcare is not prioritized.
For example, most projects in the fight against malaria are funded using the money obtained from the international lending organizations. Some of the activities that are supported include the maternal-child health and related research activities. Some funds have also been used to finance operations geared towards the HIV/Aids pandemic. According to Turin (2010), Kenya has also used a percentage of the funds to develop its healthcare human resource as well as acquisition of medical equipments.
References
Ghai, Y. (2011). Kenya’s Constitution: An instrument for change. Clarion: Nairobi, Kenya.
Mwega, F.M. (2009). A case study of aid effectiveness in Kenya: Volatility and fragmentation of foreign aid, with a focus on health. Brookings Institution: Washington DC, USA.
Somerset, A. (2009). Universalising primary education in Kenya: the elusive goal. Comparative Education. 45(2), 233-250.
Thuku, G., Gachanja, P., & Obere, A. (2013). The impact of population change on economic growth in Kenya. International Journal of Economics and Management Sciences, 2(6), 43-60.
Turin, R. (2010). Health Care Utilization in the Kenyan Health System: Challenges and Opportunities. Student Pulse, 2(9). Web.
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