Kenyan Delegation visit Mr. Calvin Burgess in Oklahoma;

Press Release

From: George Omburo

About thirty Kenyan men and women paid a courtesy visit to Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Burgess in Oklahoma City on March 24th 2007. Mr. Burgess is the developer and sole financier behind the Yala Swamp Development project. The delegates came from all over the US and were composed of mainly natives of the Lake Victoria region of Kenya. They discussed net working opportunities including ways and means of initiating development and investment vehicles that would have direct impact on the standard of living in the region, particularly improving agriculture and education standard in Nyanza. The delegation emphasized that Nyanza region has only two assets, Land and Water: we must maximize these two simple ingredients to improve our own standard of living; Nyanza does not have many choices; No one else will develop Nyanza for us; if we the natives are not involved in it, it’s bound to fail from external forces, delegates noted. Many projects in Nyanza were noted as either have failed or in brink of failing. The stake holders of these projects are not natives of the region and the overseers are actually government machinery and not individuals investing their own money.

Yala swamp project sponsored by Dominion group is an example identified by the delegation to show that with strong financial support from the stake holders, an agricultural project can succeed in Nyanza. The group was keen to form investment portfolios that will encourage indigenous ownership of the farms combined in a size suitable for commercial farming using modern machinery resulting in high acreage yield. The delegation resolved to form legal business entities to formally seek financial support from the US private sector. The legal machinery in the Diaspora will allow committed Kenyans both living in Kenya and in the US to invest into projects benefiting this region. They will provide the necessary financing and machinery support to farmers, for example to form cooperatives and combine their farms and subject it to commercial farming. The group working with a larger entity will ensure or guarantee market at competitive prices for the cooperative produce, the landowners will be able to make gainful use of their land and retain ownership of their destiny. “It is no longer okay to own land, have water and remain in poverty” quotes Dr. Omburo.

On education: lack of adequate housing for teachers was identified as one of the key factors in Nyanza’s poor academic performance as good teachers shy away from teaching in Nyanza. Teacher trainees do not select Nyanza to establish teaching career because of poor living conditions in the region. Other regions of Kenya have improved standard of living with affordable living and in some places water and electricity are available. The delegation vowed to work with Mr. Burgess to secure investment funding and establish Teachers Housing Schemes (THS) in the Lake Region where teachers and locals can form cooperatives and build modern but low cost housing schemes or estates with water and electricity for teachers. When strategically placed near schools, these pilot modern estates will be owned by or rented to teachers at rates that are commensurate with the local cost. The repayment or rental rate should be easily absorbed by the teachers housing allowance established by the TSC. In addition, as these will be estates for investment, teachers will be encouraged to own these houses and live in or rent them out to fellow teachers. The delegate requested Mr. Burgess to work with them and make low cost housing scheme one of the top priority projects and help them identify strong funding source. The project is critically needed in Nyanza as the education standard in the region is continuously dropping. The group recognized that charity giving is a thing of the past and they are looking only for investment partnership where the natives come in as investors with some ownership in the stake. Every stake holder must bring something to the table and that is when we can ensure it does not fail.

On revival of cotton growing, the delegation enquired from Mr. Burgess on the possibility of expanding cotton growing in the lake region including the expansion of Dominion ginnery and Homa Bay ginnery to accommodate the old great cotton belt of South Nyanza. The Dominion farm is keen on reviving the cotton growing and is currently expanding the ginnery in Yala to accommodate the expanding cotton fields. He promised to continue expanding the buying centers and providing seeds to all cotton growers including farmers in South Nyanza. He identified transportation, particularly roads and waterway as a major obstacle in transporting goods from South Nyanza to Yala area. He will continue to explore and hold discussions with interested Kenyans on the topic of expansion of cotton and textile industry in the lake region and help cotton farming to regain its glory as a leading cash crop in Nyanza.

The group concluded the meeting upbeat and willing to do all it can to bring development home. They believe that a stakeholder in any development project must have his or her own money in the project. The group unanimously agreed to put their own money in the first phase of the project and provide the necessary support to make it succeed. They will continue to work on the legal frame work of the investment and participation.

Partnership discussions of this kind (on ways and means of creating development opportunities in Kenya) have never happened before in the US especially with a major project financier. The strong commitments of the delegates prove that Kenyans in the Diaspora are ready to seek investment opportunities and aggressively seek foreign partners to develop their home country. It is their hope that these kinds of investment partnership discussions will expose the numerous investment opportunities in Kenya to other potential financiers and possibly bring in funding for larger undertakings like commercial railroads, toll roads, waterways, urban housing scheme and technology network.

The Diaspora Economical Transformation meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Burgess was initiated through his aide Rev Okoth Otura of Toronto-Canada and coordinated by Mr. Elisha Obongo of Houston, Texas. The delegation included Dr. Omburo who also heads the Lake Region Development Initiative, a NJ based consultancy group. Ms. Lillian Obura,-Texas; Dr. Sam Oyugi-New Jersey; Dr. Joshua Ojwang’-Oklahoma; Rose Ojwang’-Oklahoma; Charles Odhiambo-New Jersey; Ruthie Mbeche-Texas; Gilbert Nyandoto-Texas; Susan Nyandoto-Texas; Erastus Ogilla-Texas; Theodore Ogilla-Texas; Robinson Ochoo-Texas; Catherine Ochoo-Texas; Fred O. Wagah-DC; Tom Odhiambo-Oklahoma; Dickens Oyuo-New York; Bishop. Martin Odak-Texas; Pastor James Peavy-Texas; Elizabeth Ongudu-Texas; Joel Matu-Kansas; Anthony Gitau Omondi-Kansas; Francis Odundo-Ohio; Fellister Odundo-Ohio. Other host team members include Mr. J.D., Ms Kimberly Burgess and Mr. Jim Hunter.

The delegates expressed interest in a follow-up and much larger meeting soon. The delegation agreed on a meeting in Dallas Texas in June 2007, followed by a meeting in London UK in the summer, then to plan for one in the Northeast US after summer. The final series of these Development Initiative meetings will be held in Kisumu City, Kenya, later in the year.

END