For many years, political power has been viewed by many Kenyans as the ultimate pathway to development. When a politician from a particular community becomes President, people often celebrate the achievement as though the entire community has automatically won. There is pride, excitement, and the expectation that roads will be built, jobs will be created, businesses will grow, poverty will disappear, and the community will finally receive its “share” of the national cake.
But there is an important question that Kenyans must be willing to ask:
What has the presidency actually done for Baringo?
Baringo provides an important case study. Daniel arap Moi, a son of Baringo, served as President of Kenya for approximately 24 years, from 1978 to 2002. He was the country’s longest-serving president. During those decades, the people of Baringo had an extraordinary political connection to the highest office in the land.
Yet today, many communities in Baringo continue to face poverty, unemployment, inadequate economic opportunities, limited infrastructure in some areas, food insecurity, and difficulties accessing quality services.
This is not an argument against Moi or an attempt to erase his achievements. Nor is it an argument that the presidency did absolutely nothing for Baringo. Governments under Moi built schools, roads, government institutions, and other projects throughout Kenya. The point is much broader:
Political power by itself does not guarantee economic prosperity for ordinary citizens.
That is a lesson that Baringo—and indeed all 47 counties of Kenya—must take seriously.
The Presidency Does Not Put Food on the Table
There is a tendency in Kenyan politics to believe that having “our person” in State House automatically means that our people will become wealthy.
But the presidency does not put food on the table.
A presidential position is temporary. Economic productivity must be permanent.
A person can celebrate having a president from his community while remaining unemployed. A farmer can praise his political leaders while still struggling to find a reliable market for his crops. A young person can celebrate political appointments while having no business, no technical skills, and no sustainable source of income.
Political representation is important, but representation should ultimately translate into opportunities that ordinary citizens can use.
The real question should therefore not simply be:
“Who is our president?”
We should also ask:
“How many businesses are we creating?”
“How many young people are acquiring valuable skills?”
“How much food are we producing?”
“How much are our farmers earning?”
“How many local industries are we building?”
“How effectively are we using our land, water, livestock, tourism, technology, and human resources?”
These questions are far more important to the long-term economic survival of a community.
Baringo’s Experience Should Teach Us Something
The history of Baringo demonstrates that political proximity to power does not automatically eliminate poverty.
If having a son of Baringo occupy the presidency for 24 years was enough to transform the county economically, then one would expect the economic consequences to be much more dramatic and lasting.
But poverty cannot be defeated simply by having political leaders.
Poverty is defeated through productive economic systems.
A county becomes prosperous when its people produce goods and services, create businesses, develop industries, educate their children, adopt technology, access markets, manage resources responsibly, and reinvest wealth into their communities.
This means Baringo cannot afford to spend every election cycle discussing who will become President, Deputy President, Cabinet Secretary, governor, senator, or Member of Parliament while ignoring the economic foundations of the community.
Politics should be a tool for development—not the definition of development.
Stop Waiting for Political Salvation
One of the biggest problems facing many communities in Kenya is the belief that government must solve everything.
Government has an enormous responsibility. It must provide security, infrastructure, education, healthcare, water, electricity, justice, and an environment in which businesses can operate.
But government cannot replace individual initiative, community cooperation, entrepreneurship, and private investment.
A county cannot wait for State House to solve every problem.
Imagine if thousands of families in Baringo decided to become economically productive in different ways.
One family could establish a small dairy farm.
Another could produce honey.
Another could grow vegetables using irrigation.
Another could establish a poultry business.
Another could process milk.
Another could manufacture furniture.
Another could operate a transport business.
Another could provide digital services.
Another could develop a tourism enterprise.
Another could establish a small health or wellness business.
Individually, these businesses may appear small. Collectively, however, they can transform an entire county.
Economic transformation begins when ordinary people become producers rather than permanent consumers.
Baringo Has Resources
Baringo is not a county without potential.
It has agricultural land, livestock, natural resources, tourism opportunities, human capital, cultural heritage, and young people who can be trained to participate in the modern economy.
The challenge is turning these resources into sustainable wealth.
For example, livestock can become more than simply selling animals at low prices. Communities can develop better breeding programs, animal health services, milk collection systems, meat processing, leather production, and other value-added industries.
Honey production can become a serious commercial enterprise if farmers receive training, modern equipment, quality control, packaging, branding, and access to national and international markets.
Agriculture can move from subsistence farming toward commercial production.
Tourism can move beyond simply visiting famous locations to include community-based tourism, cultural tourism, eco-tourism, wellness tourism, hiking, hospitality, and local experiences.
The question is not whether Baringo has resources.
The question is:
How effectively are those resources being converted into wealth and employment for local people?
Education Must Become Economic Education
Education is another area where communities need to change their thinking.
For decades, many African families have encouraged their children to go to school, obtain certificates, find government employment, and earn a salary.
That model is no longer sufficient.
Kenya has millions of educated people competing for a limited number of formal jobs.
Young people must therefore be taught not only how to look for employment but also how to create value.
A student should graduate knowing how to manage money, use technology, understand markets, start a small enterprise, analyze information, communicate effectively, and solve problems.
A young person in Baringo should be able to look at the challenges facing the community and see business opportunities.
If farmers need better transportation, that is an opportunity.
If businesses need bookkeeping, that is an opportunity.
If farmers need digital marketing, that is an opportunity.
If tourists need accommodation and guides, that is an opportunity.
If families need affordable nutritious food, that is an opportunity.
If elderly people need assistance, that is an opportunity.
Economic development begins when people learn to identify problems and create solutions.
Counties Must Take Responsibility
Kenya’s devolved system of government gives counties significant responsibilities and resources.
This means Baringo does not have to wait for the national presidency before taking action.
The county government can support agriculture, water projects, vocational training, local businesses, healthcare, markets, tourism, environmental conservation, and other areas of economic development.
But county governments should also be judged by measurable outcomes.
Instead of simply asking how much money was allocated, citizens should ask:
How many jobs were created?
How many businesses survived?
How much did farmer incomes increase?
How many young people acquired useful skills?
How much agricultural production increased?
How much investment came into the county?
How many children remained in school?
How many families moved out of extreme poverty?
These are better measurements of leadership than political speeches.
We Need a Culture of Self-Reliance
Self-reliance does not mean abandoning government.
It means recognizing that government, communities, families, churches, businesses, schools, civil society, and individuals all have roles to play.
Baringo’s future cannot depend on one politician.
It cannot depend on one president.
It cannot depend on one political party.
It cannot depend on political appointments.
It must depend on the collective capacity of its people.
A community that produces food, creates businesses, educates its children, saves money, invests locally, supports entrepreneurs, develops industries, and uses technology becomes much harder to keep poor.
That is the kind of political independence that truly matters.
The Same Lesson Applies to All 47 Counties
The Baringo example is not only about Baringo.
Every one of Kenya’s 47 counties should ask the same question.
What are we producing?
What are we exporting?
What industries are we developing?
What skills are we teaching our young people?
What businesses are we creating?
How are we using our natural resources?
How are we improving agricultural productivity?
How are we attracting investment?
How are we keeping our educated young people economically engaged?
And most importantly:
What can we do ourselves instead of waiting for Nairobi to do everything for us?
Kenya will not become prosperous simply because a particular tribe produces a president.
Kenya will become prosperous when its counties become economically productive.
Politics Should Serve the People—Not Become the People’s Purpose
There is nothing wrong with seeking political representation. Communities need leaders who will fight for fair distribution of resources, better infrastructure, stronger institutions, and equal opportunities.
But politics becomes dangerous when people make political power the ultimate goal.
A community should not measure its success by how many cabinet positions it receives.
It should measure success by the quality of life of its people.
If children are well educated, farmers are prosperous, young people have meaningful employment, families have decent housing, businesses are growing, healthcare is accessible, food is available, and people can build a future without depending on politicians, then that community is succeeding.
The ultimate goal should not be:
“We have our person in State House.”
The goal should be:
“Our people are economically strong, educated, healthy, productive, and capable of determining their own future.”
Conclusion
Baringo’s history provides Kenya with an important lesson.
Daniel arap Moi’s 24 years as President demonstrate that political representation at the highest level does not automatically translate into lasting economic prosperity for a community.
The presidency can influence policies, allocate resources, establish institutions, and provide national leadership. But it cannot personally build every business, farm every acre, educate every child, employ every young person, or create wealth for every family.
The presidency does not give you food.
People must produce food.
The presidency does not automatically create jobs.
People must develop businesses, industries, skills, and productive enterprises.
The presidency does not make a community wealthy.
People, institutions, businesses, investors, farmers, educators, innovators, and responsible leaders collectively create wealth.
Therefore, perhaps the question Kenyans should ask is not simply, “Who needs the presidency?”
The deeper question is:
“What are we doing with what we already have?”
Baringo has people. It has land. It has livestock. It has natural resources. It has young people. It has knowledge. It has culture. It has opportunities.
What it needs is not merely another powerful politician.
It needs an economic transformation built from the ground up.
And that transformation begins when ordinary citizens stop waiting to be rescued by political power and start building the economic power of their own communities.
Political power may open doors—but economic productivity is what keeps people walking through them.
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