Barasa Chrispinus Kuloba M.ED (VOX) B.EDISU (EU)

ORGANISATION AFFILIATION: Nang'eni Secondary School, PO Box 819, Bungoma, 50200, Kenya

The concern for the rural areas and recognition of the importance of meeting the needs of predominantly rural people is of course nothing new. Official policy for half a century and more have consistently stressed the need for developing agriculture as the economic backbone of Africa countries, for encouraging steady evolution of rural community towards more satisfying ways of life and for enabling them to maintain their social and cultural integrity whilst mobilizing their innate capacity to contribute to their own development. However, in the new era of economic planning with targets being defined in terms of growth in national income, social aspects of development lose sight of and salvation is sought through sectors promising greatest returns in short period of time, by the modern industrial sector largely dominated by requirements of the articulate and progressive urban populations. Both capital, skilled manpower, land as a resource are inadequate, political turmoil in our nations, impending population of our societies, insincere parliaments uncommited to radical reforms in their nations, total tyranny in our leadership, and lacking commitment to causes of pledges by incoming governments, all have weight down our efforts in positioning Africa in economic development. The rural poor are an asset in waiting. A volcano that is dormant. With ignition, the potential to get there, remains untapped. Due to inadequate empowerment to generate participatory decision making, value addition to all, We can change our society despite the ravaging wars and encouraging steady peace formation processes.

It is my conviction that Africa repositioning hinges on the retrospect evaluation of the intrinsic potential of our people to move Africa through the 'black consciousness' as put by Steve Biko. A departure to true freedom.

The determination to use resources inherent in our societies to move our economies. To avoid impunity in leadership, authoritarian Zimbabwean, simulated leadership. The youth may own the future. We must grant them a chance to lead not telling them tomorrow. If Obama, the president-elect of the USA was in Kenya in 2007, during the electoral process, no one could grant him a chance to the presidency because he is young. Today, we are happy when he is at the helm in the developed democracy. Leadership cannot be bought as in Africa. It is not to be hereditary, but we must strive to provide room for good leaders as put in the write-up.

The many pledges made by the political class in Africa, are fantasies that become elusive as soon as leaders take office. I am persuaded that we can create a bank of knowledge that through education, as put in this treatise, should be a government's duty to provide every citizen:

• Education proportioned to the conditions and pursuits of life (Hans: 189, 1992)

• Creation of a dual economy and dual society whose success framework would be measured by extent to which these resources in the rural would spread the benefits of development widely over the course of time. That is, allocation of sufficient wealth to rural development and selection of appropriate strategies for
  investment in rural areas (Thompsons: 106, 1990)

It is imperative that the leadership as in this write-up shall effectively deliver the rural poor. This must observe the varied potentials in our citizenry, available resources, time, space and cultivate peace and offer chances for correct, reliable, flexible and good leadership with clear vision.

REFERENCES

1. A.R. Thompson: Education and development in Africa; 1990; Macmillan Education Ltd.
2. Nicholas Hans; 1992: Comparative Education : UBS
3. Steve Biko: 1997; in an article “Frank Talk, We Write What We Like”.