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local government, development and property rights PDF Print E-mail
Written by Stephen Wanyama   
Monday, 04 August 2008

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

an increasing movement of authority and funds towards the local level. This devolutionary effort has come at the same time as an increased control of local government by local political parties, i.e. the country council and town council, etc in say Nyamira are controlled by local, Kisii councillors with a largely Abagusii constituency to serve. So we have two things, political 'leadership' and funds (CDF, LATF, etc). The degree to which we can blame Nairobi for the mess in our backyards is therefore diminished.

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.


Stephen Wanyama
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795
Statelesness.....priceless!
written by mkosakabila , August 04, 2008
With such security of property, nothing (forget about peace) do I portend for Pakistani brethren, but an emergent, vibrant, bunch of rural entrepreneurs, in times a-coming, basking in the warm glow of prosperity [sic ]....

Honestly, if you just but checked, the Somalia 'model' trumps this one. For all the years that our very own neighbor Somalia has been anarchic and stateless, welfare indicators have improved quite dramatically, relative to prior times under a government. 14 out of 18 development indicators show unambiguous improvement: higher life expectancy, declines in infant and maternal mortalities, better access to health, declining poverty and very importantly the prevalence of ICTs increased by about 25 times. Somalia improved more than its neighbors, including Kenya, during the same period.
An exemplar in our very own backyard. Look to the East, don’t cross the marine.
Fugghedaboud Pakistan/Taliban, predatory states just rip you off senseless, go the Full Monty!

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written by Stephen Wanyama , August 05, 2008
Frustrating that the Pakistani government should tax the people when it is providing them with nothing but the privilege of the Pakistani identity, greater thugs than the Taliban even. Yes, the invasion of Somalia by the US and the Ethiopians was truly tragic, by all accounts the ICU (Islamic Courts Union) had brought in order, prredictability, could enforce legal rights and collect funds for such tasks are bringing the port, the airport and the road system back into use. That Somali spirit lives on in Somaliland I am told, an oasis of prosperity in the horn. Is this perhaps the civic pride, the nationalism that Mhambi was on about in the Colonisation thread?
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written by mkosakabila , August 05, 2008

I’ll take a ‘rain check’ on that one—you know the oasis of peace and prosperity one. I know Somaliland has been experimenting with interesting governance regimes (see sujai shivakumar, 06) but still puzzle why such closely similar people can be soooo-oo difft when it comes to conflict resolution.

Re the civic & nationalism—I didn’t follow that exchange—but mahmbi has mob sympathizers—frm those who talk about clientelism and development to those like mr social capital (Putnam) who talk about the virtues of associational life and civic engagement for pol and econ devlpt.

But then we’re still at a loss on how to foster nationalism where diversity is so high (praps the us--what kind of a name is that- can talk on this) but even mister social capital’s recent work seems to suggest that diversity can undermine trust. Funny……everyone else is talking diversity good for this, diversity good for that, of institutions of individual experiences....then he pours cold water.

We’ll see how it evolves, jus now hoping Morgan Freeman gets ok.

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Somaliland vs. Somalia
written by Guest , August 05, 2008
Dear mkosakabila (yes, it is me, as you had guessed correctly): the juxtaposition of Somalia vs. Somaliland has already in the past been undertaken here by yours truly. I share your bewilderment. The difference can hardly be due to the difference of colonization between the British and Italian regimes - or can it?


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What's in a name?
written by mkosakabila , August 06, 2008
Dear, dear, Guest. How nice!
Little to no knowledge of what drives the differences. Will pull up your comparisons.
I'm nowadays thinking about Garissa--juxtaposed, superimposed, counterposed, all.

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