LREB Possibilities: Regional Airline, TV Station, and Tech Hub
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- March 16, 2023
Governors of the 14 counties that comprise the Lake Region Economic Block (LREB) are meeting in Migori County (Tuesday, 14th March to Thursday, 16th March) to chart a joint economic path for member counties. This noble idea was founded about six years ago when respective leaders saw the need to ensure the counties gain and develop more quickly than when they move as single entities. Member counties are Trans Nzoia, Vihiga, Bomet, Bungoma, Homa Bay, Kisumu, Busia, Nandi, Migori, Nyamira, Siaya, Kisii, Kakamega, and Kericho.
For the years it’s existed, not so many tangible gains have been felt on the ground. Still, we can give the initiative some benefit of the doubt and say those were the formative stage where more work was put into research, consultations, consensus, and policy-making before moving to actual implementation on the ground. Now that it’s up and running, the people of these counties should be given some on-ground development results by introducing impact projects that build on their present and future socio-economic capacities.
Regional Airline
If I may suggest some, personally, I’ll love to see initiatives such as having a regional budget airline regional tv station. A regional tech hub (our Silicon Valley of sorts) be in the long-term conversation in the body’s forums and spaces.
A regional airline will serve the 14 counties well on many fronts. It will ease flight movement for passengers traveling to or from these counties to the capital city, Nairobi, Mombasa, and Malindi. Such a local company would help push the market to fair and competitive flight ticket rates. Likewise, it will open up trade and investments to the counties due to ease of movement, boost tourism to the Western Kenya Tourism Circuit, and help decentralize some services from the capital. Currently, all airlines serving the 14 counties are Nairobi airlines. It’s about time we could retain some of the money in this sector in our counties.
The capacity to find such an airline through a PPP (Private, Public, Partnership) is there. The basic infrastructure to support it is there. Member counties such as Homa Bay, Busia, Bungoma, Kakamega, and others have airstrips that need upgrading to operate optimally. With its international airport, Kisumu can serve as the airline’s headquarters.
The market demand to sustain it is also there, considering the expansive area LREB covers and its dense population. With easy access and affordable flights, there will be an upsurge in passenger uptake of this service. Currently, smaller-budget airlines have a substantial domestic market share. This shows the model works well. It simply requires replication and devolvement.
Television Station
The second project I’d love to see take shape is a regional tv station. Media is vital for the people as it informs, educates, and even connects the populace. It LREB needs a medium by which the people in the member counties can unite to foster cohesion and create a sense of oneness. A tv station with a significant focus on the region can be a force even on the national stage.
It’s a viable undertaking that’s possible through sound, investor-friendly policies, and purposeful sourcing and support. At the moment, we get all our tv intake from Nairobi. Something happens in Kisumu, Kakamega, et al., and you have to wait for Nairobi-based media houses to cover it and send it to Nairobi. I will then relay it back to you. Why not a more homegrown station for Western Kenya? It will easily carve a niche for itself and self-sustain.
Tech Hub
Lastly, I’d love to see a tech hub to help develop the technological capacities of these 14 counties, help incubate start-up tech companies on these sides, and give upcoming techies a resource center to hone their skills. No need to emphasize the role tech plays in our modern lives, its economic value, and where the future is heading with it. Any financial conversation by the county or the national government must involve tech. A Silicon Valley setup is something needed as soon possible.
The respective county governors can lobby investors, partner with the national government, and gift this side of the country a future-driven, global standard tech hub for LREB counties’ educational needs and spurring economic growth.
The above projects may sound far-fetched or too grand, but they are doable and needed. If the will is there, the possibilities are limitless. It all starts with a vision. Why walk with the chicken when you can fly with eagles, right?
