Re: Yala Swamp aka Dominion Group Issue: Fail to Plan, Plan to fail

From: Joseph Okumu
To: Obungu Rapemo

The DOMFAM project need not generate such passionate negative campaigns like it is presently attracting. Many talkers are mostly much uninformed about what this project can achieve, the challenges it faces and what need to be done to limit its negative impact on both the local community and the environment.

At the onset, these people making so much noise should visit countries in Europe and America where such massive projects have been undertaken and see for themselves what it can achieve.

Students of Regional geography in Kenya used to be taught such things as Tennessee Valley project in USA, the Volta River project in Ghana etc. In London now there is development called Thames gateway, which literally has transformed the wetlands into massive beehive of economic activity. Canary Wharf, which in now the new financial capital of London, was just a wasteland a few years ago. It now hosts Headquarters for such Corporations as Barclays bank, HSBC, Citibank and all other leading Finance houses in the World. Massive housing projects are taking off at breathtaking speed in the area of East London, which will be hosting the Olympics in 2012. The construction of Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge, otherwise known as the Dartford Bridge, linking London to the South East, Kent, causing completion of the M25 London Orbital roads, was a very complex engineering achievement considering the bridge is almost the height of Hilton Hotel in Nairobi, together with tunnel for on coming traffic. All over the UK such projects are the norm rather than the exception.

Such projects are undertaken after taking account of both Cost Benefit Analysis and Environmental Impact Assessment. As Okoth said, the aim of EIA is not to stop a project but to identify what needs to be done or what must be done before allowing the project to be implemented to mitigate its adverse impact on the environment.

To be considered before such a project is implemented is the concerns of people directly affected by it. I do not see how somebody far away from Kisii, or Nairobi, who does not even hail from the affected area can mount an objection. These are just busy bodies probably making noise to be paid.

There is no project that will ever be done which has no impact on the people and their environment. I know one MP from the area used to collude with some contractor to get money from building dykes, which collapsed as soon as it rained. If Dominion, now using her own money is building durable dykes which help our people, who is this complaining when we are not, as the stakeholders.

KANO Floods have killed people over the years and nothing has been done. Our people moved from Goye in West Yimbo when it flooded in early sixties and have never returned to live there to date. Yala swamp has killed so many people whenever it flooded. Roads between Yimbo and Siaya, which used to be the District Headquarters were impassable when it rained. Tsetse Flies were a common problem before phase one of Yala Swamp Project was started to the extent that DDT was used extensively in the sixties to eradicate it and to help save people from Transpanosomiasis. This opened up Mageta islands, parts of Got Ramogi Forest Area, and the area around Yala swamp for cultivation. These complainants, what would we rather have had? People dying from tsetse fly bites or use DDT to kill them?

Dominion Project, as conceived at the present time is good for Siaya district, Bondo District, Kisumu district, Nyanza Province and Kenya as a whole. It removes centre for rapid economic activity from the Sugar belt in Nyanza to this area. The potential for economic Transformation is enormous. We stand to make money from capital gains on property value, who “ngan’gs”?

Let us recap on this project to bring it into perspective.

I summarize key aspects of this project from various publications thus:

Dominion Farm Limited based at Yala Swamp has sunk close to Kshs 2 billion in an ambitious plan to fill the food security gap, in Nyanza particularly and Kenya, generally. This multi-billion shillings project involves massive land reclamation in the banks of River Yala, its estuary and the surrounding wetland.

A. Agriculture:

1. The project proposes application of modern agriculture and farming techniques; a combination of mechanised and labour intensive farming.
2. It is proposed to introduce suitable crops based on best practices agronomy; in its long list of activities, it includes the production of rice, groundnuts, bee keeping, cotton, sunflowers, soybeans, vegetables and the planting of the anti-malarial Plant Artemisia.
3. Completion of Farm development is expected over the next 4 years so that over 15,000 acres of irrigated land will be cultivated with multiple crops each year; estimated at 2.2 crops per year per acre due to the absence of seasons and proximity to the equator; effectively the farm is equivalent to a US farm of approximately 37,000 acres.
4. Planting of remaining land not utilized for food crops, with trees.
5. The farm will be principally for the production of rice with rotation crops of cotton, sunflower, soybean, and plants utilized in the production of anti-malarial medicines.

B. Fishing.

a. Dominion Farm Limited proposes to introduce aquaculture in this multibillion shillings food production programme. It envisages a development plan encompassing major fish farming project within the 17000 acres farm for the raising of Tilapia, and Clarius Catfish, both native to the area.
b. The project will begin with infrastructure for the production of 10,000,000 kilograms annually and doubling that figure over the next few years. It will involve putting up various facilities i.e. fish processing factory covering about 10,500 sq.ft.
c. By the year 2008, the fish processing capacity is expected to have an output of about 20 tons of fish daily. The fish will be fed products from the local area. These will include approximately 6,000 tons of rice bran, 10,000 tons of broken rice, soybean and various other crops, making for a good use of otherwise low-revenue products.
d. Fish operations will include a fish food processing plant, and a fish processing plant. A by-product of the fish operation will be the use of fish faeces as fertilizer for growing organic crops on the farm.
e. The nutrient-rich water from the fishponds will be used for irrigation of crops in proximity to the fish operation.
f. At full production, approximately 7,000 acres of organic crops will be grown.
g. After processing the fish, the wastes and off cuts, will be processed into fish oil and fishmeal.
h. The oil will be converted to Bio diesel for farm energy sufficiency and the fishmeal will become a protein additive to livestock feeds.
i. Electricity generation for intensive farming to ensure sufficient availability of power supply to sustain the project.

C. What has been achieved:

1. Constructed of a dam hydroelectric capability.
2. Construction of many kilometres of dykes to control floods.
3. Construction of a water storage reservoir of 1,100 acres.
4. Construction of housing compound.
5. Construction of grain storage and drying facilities.
6. Construction of workshops.
7. Construction of and many kilometres of roads.
8. Planting of approximately 2500 acres of cropland and commencement of commercial rice production.
9. Production of seed crops since 2005, and testing varieties of soybeans, cotton, maize, sorghum and rice best suited for the area.
10. Achieving test crop yields which is some among the highest in the world.
11. The fish hatchery is now reproducing selective breeding stock for use when construction of the fish farm is completed, and for stocking the local waterways

D. Project Backward and Forward Integration

a. Because of remoteness of this area, it is necessary to fully integrate all farming operations. This requires construction of own roads, water supplies, power plants, rice mill, fuel storage facilities, grain drying and storage facilities, cotton gin, and airstrip. All tractors, combines, and related farming equipment must be imported and supported by own staff.
b. Out-grower programs have been started with the local farmers for cotton, and honey.
c. Dominion will provide the seed or bees and the technology. Local farmers do the actual labour on their land and we are the market for the product, paying them upon receipt of the goods.
d. This programme will be expanded into soybeans, fish and chickens as soon as the infrastructure is in place.
e. From an economic point of view, this project is still in the investment stage. The goal is to be at a break-even point sometime during the year of 2008.
f. At full production, the row crop portion of the enterprise will produce approximately 100,000 tons of products annually, while the fish portion will produce about 20,000 tons.
g. As the economies of these areas begin to grow, so will the market potential for the products produced there as the money changes hands so many times before leaving local communities.
h. A recent government study points to over 50,000 persons living near the farm moving above the poverty line, and beginning to experience prosperity, all since we began operations.
i. Dominion, in conjunction with another Foundation is soon to begin the construction of a Youth Training Centre located at Dominion Farm. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2007, for an initial capacity of 2400 children and their counsellors, including dorms, classrooms, cooking and dining facilities, and various vocational training areas. Operations will commence in 2008 with children from all over the Nation of Kenya. Specialty training sessions will be held for educators, counsellors, and community leaders; these leaders will constitute the follow-up teams for those who attend the centre. The camp will teach the students in various vocations, such as dairy, poultry operations, horticulture, farming, water treatment, sewage treatment, vehicle maintenance, baking, sewing, fish farming, bio diesel production, forestry, and conservation. A strong emphasis will be placed on the prevention of HIV/AIDS with the children, hopefully, before they become sexually active.
j. Sports facilities will be developed , including soccer, netball and basketball, volleyball, running, and swimming. Swimming is of great importance as few rural Kenyans know how to swim, even the fishermen, who drown on a regular basis. A very large pool will be constructed with qualified instructors to teach the students. This alone will save many lives in the area.

E. Corporate Social responsibility.

a. Dominion Farms has constructed classrooms, medical clinics, public roads, water wells, markets, and sports fields for the local community.
b. Dominion, in conjunction with the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), has provided HIV/AIDS testing for the entire community, which revealed a 25% positive rate of infection. Anti-retroviral drugs are now available to these people at the local hospitals and clinics.
c. Dominion has donated thousands of bed nets to the local population.
d. Dominion has taken an active role in the growing of artimesinan, a natural product utilized in the making of malaria curing drugs.

F. Out reach Programmes.

Dominion is convinced that reasonable economic returns are attainable on a sustained basis. Their ultimate goal to empower the locals to move out of the poverty they are now trapped within.

Dominion is in the process of organizing the combination of small-scale subsistence farmers; usually with land areas of from 5 to 15 acres each, into their own farm cooperatives, for which Dominion will provide expertise and financing to change their land into modern, moderate scale, productive Community farms.

These farms, utilizing the latest farming techniques, are capable of producing several times more product and revenue than is currently is being achieved. The outcome of this will revolutionize the farming and economic status of the poorest people in the land. Projections show that after a period of 6 years the landowners will have enough income to live in their own modern homes, equipped with electrical lights, and are ready purchase their own modern farm equipment to successfully operate their own land, on their own.

Dominion will provide the expertise, capitol, and equipment, to start three such demonstration farms in 2007. The crops produced will have a guaranteed market to Dominion.

The principal crops will be cotton and soybeans; the cotton will help meet the goals of the national government to maintain the AGOA treaty with the US and Europe sustaining thousands of jobs in the nation of Kenya. The soy will be utilized for the production of oil for the production of Bio-Diesel, and as a high protein food source for both human and animal consumption, something greatly lacking in the Nation.

Has anybody costed the addition to local GDP that will be generated by this project from those estimated crop, power, fish, bio-diesel, Fish Processing, Rice Milling activity?

Please gentlemen, let us be serious. This project is going to lead to a Major Transformation to lift many Locals out of poverty entrapment, improve nutrition, provide social facilities, and with backward and forward integration, the Local markets up to Kisumu and beyond, will see a major change within the next ten years.

This is the best thing that ever happened to the economy of Luoland and Luhyaland. At last many people will be able to work near home without becoming unwanted expatriates in Nairobi, Mombasa, Malindi, and elsewhere; wasting valuable money traveling up and down, building good houses which lie unoccupied for long periods of expatriate work.