Confidence in coalition Govt getting eroded
Updated on: Monday, April 07, 2008 Story by: JAMES KUTAI and okello k’ajoji ....................................................................................................................................................................................
Kibaki SUNDAY was supposed to be the day President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister -designate Raila Odinga were to name a new look cabinet, ending weeks of speculation and costly political bickering.
But like on three similar occasions, yesterday also yielded nothing concrete with the principals calling on Kenyans to be patient and pledging to pick it up today (Monday).
The Cabinet of 40 ministers and unknown number of assistant ministers in both form and content has attracted outrage all round.
Critics and battalions of disillusioned Kenyans peg opposition to the bloated cabinet on the grounds that it is merely aimed at assuaging the political elite, soothing egos, rewarding political debts and loyalties all at the expense of the taxpayer.
What is more, the huge cabinet runs against the grain given that a lean and efficient cabinet is what Kibaki had pledged when he first won the presidency in 2002.
Raila Odinga on the other hand pledged a lean cabinet as recently as late last year. So the question is; Why have these two gone back on their word? It was Winston Churchill who famously remarked that eating back words had never caused anybody constipation but clearly what the political class has agreed on has been taken very badly a cross the country.
True, words do not cause constipation but it is time Kenya leaders started cultivating politics of conviction and integrity. Kenya is number 22 among the poorest countries in the world. In the United States which is 600 times richer, the President earns $ 33,000 monthly.
A Congress member earns an equivalent of Shs 853,000 compared to Kenyan MPs who earn 878,000 a month, allowances excluded! 40 cabinet Ministers and say 60 Assistant Ministers will cost the already overburdened taxpayer an average of Shs 44million and 60million respectively per month.
Those appointed will now have to fend off brick bats directed at them by citizens and accusations that they are not planning to end the country’s poverty that continues to ravage the common man who would be lucky to come by Sh70 per in a day.
What singularly stings Kenyans is whether this team will provide focus, the drive and push for real changes---the constitutional framework within which this country may be turned around so that poverty, insecurity, infrastructural decay and generally, the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved.
And what is puzzling most is this portfolio balance issue. Will this government work functionally given that even forming the team remains elusive? The signs emerging given the protracted negotiations is that confidence of Kenyans is getting sapped as doubts deepen whether the two principals are on the right track.
It is not too late for them to still go back to the question of numbers. Of what use to this country will a 40-member cabinet serve? If they can not address themselves to this issue then the question of whether or not they are connecting with Kenyans will become increasingly worth asking.
The so called white smoke once again did not emerge from Harambee House despite over four hours of intense negotiations first between the president and part of his Cabinet and Raila Odinga and Pentagon members.
It is no exaggeration comparing what is happening here with what is going on in Zimbabwe where as at the weekend ,the ZANU -PF was shifting goal-posts and demanding that ballot papers be re-tallied.
When one considers what spokesmen Salim Lone for ODM and Alfred Mutua have treated Kenyans to these past three days, then Kenyans have every reason to be depressed over the turn of events for our country.
As much as the two principals have to grapple with the issue of strategic parity, there are also issues of regional balance and what to do about those already in the Cabinet.
On his part, it will be inconceivable and some say political suicidal for Raila Odinga to bend to PNU machinations and leave out William Ruto and one or two others from the Rift Valley fingered for omission by PNU.
Having voted almost to the man for Mr Odinga in last year’s general election, Rift Valley MPs and the electorate will be keenly watching where they will be placed, and more so, their de facto kingpin Ruto. Part of the reason there was such intense disappointment yesterday is that Kenya is at standstill. Clouds of doubt are thickening as are other grievances.
Business does not like uncertainty. Investor and business confidence have taken a serious knock. President Mwai Kibaki and the Prime Minister -designate Raila Odinga must tomorrow pull the rabbit from their hats otherwise this state of national paralysis is unacceptable.
Priorities like the 300,000 internally displaced people can not get tackled conclusively because national focus is on cabinet.
But like on three similar occasions, yesterday also yielded nothing concrete with the principals calling on Kenyans to be patient and pledging to pick it up today (Monday).
The Cabinet of 40 ministers and unknown number of assistant ministers in both form and content has attracted outrage all round.
Critics and battalions of disillusioned Kenyans peg opposition to the bloated cabinet on the grounds that it is merely aimed at assuaging the political elite, soothing egos, rewarding political debts and loyalties all at the expense of the taxpayer.
What is more, the huge cabinet runs against the grain given that a lean and efficient cabinet is what Kibaki had pledged when he first won the presidency in 2002.
Raila Odinga on the other hand pledged a lean cabinet as recently as late last year. So the question is; Why have these two gone back on their word? It was Winston Churchill who famously remarked that eating back words had never caused anybody constipation but clearly what the political class has agreed on has been taken very badly a cross the country.
True, words do not cause constipation but it is time Kenya leaders started cultivating politics of conviction and integrity. Kenya is number 22 among the poorest countries in the world. In the United States which is 600 times richer, the President earns $ 33,000 monthly.
A Congress member earns an equivalent of Shs 853,000 compared to Kenyan MPs who earn 878,000 a month, allowances excluded! 40 cabinet Ministers and say 60 Assistant Ministers will cost the already overburdened taxpayer an average of Shs 44million and 60million respectively per month.
Those appointed will now have to fend off brick bats directed at them by citizens and accusations that they are not planning to end the country’s poverty that continues to ravage the common man who would be lucky to come by Sh70 per in a day.
What singularly stings Kenyans is whether this team will provide focus, the drive and push for real changes---the constitutional framework within which this country may be turned around so that poverty, insecurity, infrastructural decay and generally, the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved.
And what is puzzling most is this portfolio balance issue. Will this government work functionally given that even forming the team remains elusive? The signs emerging given the protracted negotiations is that confidence of Kenyans is getting sapped as doubts deepen whether the two principals are on the right track.
It is not too late for them to still go back to the question of numbers. Of what use to this country will a 40-member cabinet serve? If they can not address themselves to this issue then the question of whether or not they are connecting with Kenyans will become increasingly worth asking.
The so called white smoke once again did not emerge from Harambee House despite over four hours of intense negotiations first between the president and part of his Cabinet and Raila Odinga and Pentagon members.
It is no exaggeration comparing what is happening here with what is going on in Zimbabwe where as at the weekend ,the ZANU -PF was shifting goal-posts and demanding that ballot papers be re-tallied.
When one considers what spokesmen Salim Lone for ODM and Alfred Mutua have treated Kenyans to these past three days, then Kenyans have every reason to be depressed over the turn of events for our country.
As much as the two principals have to grapple with the issue of strategic parity, there are also issues of regional balance and what to do about those already in the Cabinet.
On his part, it will be inconceivable and some say political suicidal for Raila Odinga to bend to PNU machinations and leave out William Ruto and one or two others from the Rift Valley fingered for omission by PNU.
Having voted almost to the man for Mr Odinga in last year’s general election, Rift Valley MPs and the electorate will be keenly watching where they will be placed, and more so, their de facto kingpin Ruto. Part of the reason there was such intense disappointment yesterday is that Kenya is at standstill. Clouds of doubt are thickening as are other grievances.
Business does not like uncertainty. Investor and business confidence have taken a serious knock. President Mwai Kibaki and the Prime Minister -designate Raila Odinga must tomorrow pull the rabbit from their hats otherwise this state of national paralysis is unacceptable.
Priorities like the 300,000 internally displaced people can not get tackled conclusively because national focus is on cabinet.
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