Before we start, let's say I agree I cannot stand the Taliban. Religionists and anyone with an ethnic banner is a natural foe of mine. Still, there is a lesson here from far away for Kenyans, especially those living in the so-called marginalised areas.

There has been since 1992

Okay, now in Pakistan's - the possessive is used in a very loose sense here- Northern Districts, the Taliban are improving incomes by enforcing property rights. The New York Times reports that,

A government body, the FATA Development Authority, failed over the last several years to mediate a dispute between the Masaud and Gurbaz subtribes over how the mining rights to the marble should be allocated, according to Pakistani government officials familiar with the quarry who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the effort's failure.

A new government mining corporation, Pakistan Stone Development Company, offered last year to invest in modern mining machinery, but even with the lure of added value, the development authority could not sort out the feud.

The arguments were fierce because the tribes knew that the Ziarat marble was of particularly fine texture and purity, comparable to Italian Carrara marble, according to an assessment done for the FATA Development Authority.

The Taliban came eager for a share of the business. Their reputation for brutality and the weakness of the local government authorities allowed the Taliban to settle the dispute in short order.

The Taliban decided that one mountain in the Ziarat area belonged to the Masaud division of the main Safi tribe, and said that the Gurbaz subtribe would be rewarded with another mountain, Mr. Zaman, the contractor, said.

The mountain assigned to the Masauds was divided into 30 portions, he said, and each of six villages in the area was assigned five of the 30 portions. Mr. Zaman said the Taliban demanded about $1,500 commission upfront for each portions, giving the insurgents a quick $45,000.

The Taliban also demanded a tax of about $7 on each truckload of marble, he said. With a constant flow of trucks out of the quarry, the Taliban are now collecting up to $500 a day, Mr. Zaman said.

It continues,

The local tribes are profiting along with the Taliban. Once the trucks reach the processing plants, the government, too, collects a hefty tax, nearly double that of the Taliban, Mr. Zaman said, though there was no way to verify the claim. The Taliban appeared to have no problem with the government taking a share, he said.

So far, he said, the Taliban were overseeing the operation with a light hand: a single armed Taliban fighter sat at a checkpoint not far from Mr. Zaman's hut to ensure that the tax was paid.

Obviously now, the Taliban are hardly worthy of emulation, and there is a lot of coercion involved here, quite a lot happening at gun-point. But you get the feeling that if a completely lawless district, where the government is absent can be made productive, then the Maasai districts, or Luo Nyanza, or even the Kalenjin districts could if they were so inclined develop themselves regardless of what Nairobi was up to.The recent resurgence of cooperatives in Central Kenya( Ndiangui says he is writing on this) shows that local leadership and initiative have in and of themselves what it takes to solve countless local problems.