John O. Kakonge

There is vigorous discussion throughout the international development community about the policies and priorities necessary to stimulate economic growth and to ensure that such growth is both inclusive and sustainable.

In many developing countries, especially in Africa, there is a perception that new things do not need maintenance. This attitude is a major obstacle to the achievement of any kind of sustainability in development and the cause of failure in numerous African projects and programmes.

Development projects, by their very nature, will always contain uncertainties and risks – factors and circumstances not ascertained or anticipated, elements subject to change or fluctuation, imponderables that may defy the best of planning and project preparation.

Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) have served as recognized project planning tools for more than forty years. Kenya and many other African nations have passed legislation making such assessments mandatory, especially for large and what may be termed “environmentally sensitive” projects.

Turkana County, in the extreme north-west of Kenya, is a semi-arid area that suffers from low rainfall, high temperatures and frequent droughts.

All societies – from the smallest communities to the largest nations – need leaders. Leaders are essential to their societies for a wide variety of reasons, such as: to regulate disputes, to oversee economic and social actions and decisions, and to promote social cohesion.