Moi's regime invested significantly in infrastructure development, particularly in roads, water systems, and other physical infrastructure, investments that were distributed unevenly across regions according to political and patronage considerations. The infrastructure achievements of Moi's presidency are real and are sometimes cited as evidence of his contribution to Kenya's development. Yet the pattern of infrastructure investment also revealed how development projects became mechanisms for patronage distribution and for consolidating political support among regional and ethnic groups.
Road construction proceeded at an accelerating pace during Moi's presidency, with particular emphasis on roads connecting Kalenjin regions to Nairobi and to other parts of the country. The roads themselves were valuable and had genuine economic benefits for the regions through which they passed. Yet the process of road construction became a mechanism for patronage: construction contracts went to individuals and firms with political connections, the distribution of contracts reflected ethnic and political preferences, and the roads' location sometimes reflected political rather than economic logic.
Water supply projects expanded during Moi's presidency, with significant investment in systems to provide piped water to rural communities. These projects were politically popular because they provided visible evidence of the regime's commitment to rural development. Yet the distribution of water projects, like road construction, reflected political preferences. Kalenjin and allied communities received disproportionate investment in water infrastructure, while marginalised regions received less investment despite potentially greater needs.
The development of the Port of Mombasa proceeded during Moi's era, with investments in port facilities and in the infrastructure required to move goods through the port. Mombasa remained Kenya's primary link to international trade, and improvements to port efficiency were economically significant. Yet the investment in port infrastructure also involved significant patronage: port contracts went to politically connected firms, land adjacent to the port was allocated to regime allies, and the benefits of port development were unevenly distributed.
The construction of Kenya's international airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), received significant investment during Moi's presidency. The airport was essential to Kenya's international connectivity and to the tourism industry that was a major source of foreign exchange. Yet the airport construction, like other infrastructure projects, involved patronage networks: contracts went to firms with political connections, and the benefits of airport development accrued disproportionately to Nairobi and to firms with access to political power.
The electrification of rural areas proceeded during Moi's presidency, with the expansion of Kenya Power and Lighting Company's networks into previously unserved regions. Electrification was economically and socially significant, expanding economic opportunities and improving quality of life in rural areas. Yet the expansion proceeded unevenly, with Kalenjin and allied regions receiving more extensive and faster electrification than regions with less political influence.
The infrastructure investment during Moi's era often proceeded through corruption and through mechanisms that inflated costs and reduced the quality of construction. Firms with political connections could secure contracts at inflated prices, could use inferior materials while charging premium rates, and could escape accountability for substandard work. The result was that infrastructure investment, while producing visible physical projects, often failed to deliver the efficiency and quality that genuine development investment would have achieved.
The environmental consequences of some infrastructure projects were significant but often inadequately considered. The construction of roads, dams, and other infrastructure sometimes resulted in environmental degradation, the destruction of habitats, and impacts on wildlife. Yet environmental impact assessment was not rigorously applied to infrastructure projects, and the concerns of affected communities were often overridden by state determination to proceed with projects.
The concentration of infrastructure investment in politically favoured regions perpetuated regional inequality. Kalenjin regions and areas with strong political connections to Moi received disproportionate investment, while regions associated with opposition or with communities marginalised from Moi's patronage networks received less investment. This pattern of regional investment reflected and reinforced ethnic and political inequality.
See Also
Infrastructure Development Moi Economic Record Moi Coffee Boom 1977-1979 Moi and the Kalenjin Kenya Regional Development
Sources
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/3172813 (accessed 2024)
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kenya-Economy (accessed 2024)
- https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000450321/infrastructure-investment-analysis (accessed 2024)