In 1993, Bitange Ndemo resigned from his position as a Senior Financial Systems Analyst in the United States to return to his homeland.
He utilized his savings to purchase a 10-acre parcel of land in Kajiado County and allocated the remainder of his funds to construct a residence.
“My more than five years savings of Ksh 20 million went up in smoke. My saving grace was a ten-acre piece of land I bought in Kajiado. The rest was converted into dead capital in form of a small rural home,” Ndemo pointed out.
Following the conclusion of the 1992 elections, the nation was facing the challenges of hyperinflation.
Ndemo resided with his family in Nairobi and soon found himself in a difficult position, striving to meet the needs of his household.
“I began to regret why I put up a house in my rural home while I suffered in the city. The house was dead capital. I could not rent it to anyone yet I had to pay somebody to take care of it. In fifteen years I have used it twice,” he explained.
The associate professor questioned the rationale behind an individual’s decision to invest in a rural residence while simultaneously facing financial difficulties in the urban environment.
“Of what sense is it when someone puts up a Ksh 20million home in a rural area only for the relatives to raise money to pay school fees for children after his death?
“These are houses that no one will buy, sell or rent because graves dot the home. What is the value of culture?” he posed.
Ndemo observed that these properties serve as burial homes, indicating that individuals residing in the city construct them in the village to prevent causing embarrassment to their clan upon their passing.
“I am not against people spending their money in whatever way they choose. But there’s need for a mindset change because we have invested more than $50 billion in non-productive assets thereby settling ourselves in a destructive path,” he stressed.
