Effects Of Violence And Disease On The Kenyan Economy Research Paper

Effects Of Violence And Disease On The Kenyan Economy - Research Paper Example There is the element of that aspect of ethnic violence that is due to numerous disputes over land and the distribution of power and wealth, stemming from disputes that first arose during the time of the colonial masters, and taking deeper root from the time of independence in 1963 moving forward. The Rift Valley and Nairobi slums have been targeted as the areas with the most profound violence in the country, even as violence is not isolated in that region, but spread over along ethnic lines. The Kikuyu tribe, making up about 20 percent of the population, and politically and economically influential, has had clashes with competing for ethnic groups such as the Luo, among the most prominent of which is the violence that erupted in 2008, tied to the elections. It is hard to quantify the economic impacts of such violence, and the number of casualties seems to pale in comparison to the dead in such places as Rwanda, but the consensus is that violence in some form or other has had some imp act on the development of the Kenyan economy through the years. The effects of disease and poor health on the economy, in particular, are dire, pervasive, and chronic, affecting longevity and workforce numbers and quality, and affecting the ability of the Kenyan economy to fund growth and other drivers of long-term economic wellness, such as education, and threatening to pull the country into a vicious cycle where the continued deterioration of the health of the Kenyan population translates to poorer and poorer economic outcomes.... face a growing list of persistent and chronic health crises that crippled the country's ability to adequately address all of these health problems and grow the economy. It is a chicken and egg affair. As more Kenyans meet with devastating health afflictions, such as tuberculosis malaria, and AIDS, the greater their burden on the nation's coffers, which in turn caused the country to suffer reversals versus its economic goals. Moreover, the impaired health and longevity of its citizens translated to a less capable workforce, which also had the effect of stunting overall economic growth. Indeed, at present, about half of the Kenyan population lives in poverty, while the longevity rates have gone down from a peak of 62 years in the late 1980's to just 53 years twenty years hence (Center for Strategic & International Studies). Data from UNICEF largely corroborate the steep plunge in expected longevity rates for the country, dropping to just 44 years according to UNICEF largely due to the outbreak and chronically high levels of the incidence of AIDS/HIV in the country (UNICEF). The numbers relating to the incidence of crippling diseases, including malaria, AIDS, other infectious illnesses, and tuberculosis, have remained at chronic high levels since that time. To add to this, recent trends are that the country is facing an epidemic of other chronic ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, and different kinds of cancers, further adding to the national burden, increasing the financial requirements to meet health care needs, and further stressing the national economy. The health care burden is huge relative to the capacity of the Kenyan national government's ability to meet it financially, and is the starting point of a vicious circle that threatens to keep the Kenyan