Mwaniki Wahome
10 July 2009
Nairobi — Kenya will not achieve millennium development goals by 2015 but has the potential to make great strides by then.
The director of MDG Centre East & Southern Africa, Mr Glenn Denning, however said Kenya was in better situation that most countries in Africa in achieving the goals.
"Kenya has fewer excuses for not achieving the goals. It has highly educated population, is not at war or land-locked." he said.
He was speaking during the signing of memorandum of understanding between the MDG Centre and the French embassy for the construction of renewable energy in Dertu in Lagdera constituency.
The $250,000 worth project will be undertaken jointly by the two, and ambassador Elisabeth Barbier signed for the government of France.
Dertu is one of the two millennium villages set up to act as models of how to transform rural villages in a relatively short time. The other is in Nyanza province.
Mr Denning said the country could score quick wins through investing in agriculture and utilising its strategic position to accelerate trade with other countries.
However, he said leadership needed to step up its efforts at all levels for gains to be achieved.
Mr Denning said the country had achieved much in education, infrastructure and health, particularly in combating HIV/ aids and malaria.
However, he added that there was need to improve on what had been achieved.
The millennium development goals envisage a high quality healthcare, education, water, better environment, sustainable and higher income for the people by 2015 as set by United Nations.
Mr Denning said there were local resources, while there existed potential to tap into international resources to drive faster achievement of the development goals.
"There is need to mobilise the human talent, other local resources like taxes which should be focused and set standards to achieve these goals. However we do not hear this often." he said.
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