Does
it matter really if one of your own- whatever that is - made it to the cabinet
list? The answer to this question is both yes and no. If the furore created
after the president and his deputy announced names of people they nominated in
the cabinet lineup is anything to go by, then the answer is yes. But assuming
we are so shallow to extent that we expect our people as a whole to benefit
from such appointments, just how many will benefit?
Historically,
the post of a cabinet minister has attracted a lot of attention and interest to
the extent that there were rumors to the effect that some legislators went as
far as issuing bribes and kickbacks to power brokers in government in order to secure
that coveted post of a cabinet minister. Those were the same days when, upon
receiving the appointment letter from the head of state, a minister had a free
hand to run the ministry as a personal pet project as he/she pleases, employing
people from his/her tribe beginning with
the tea girl, secretaries to senior managers. The result of this was that,
government ministries operating on tax payer’s money were reduced to miniature
communities a microcosm of their ethnic cocoons with workers communicating in
mother tongue while spending half of the day reading newspapers or gossiping
with no results to show at the end of the day.
These
are the same days when you visited a government office, you’d find a jacket
hanged on the chair with lights on yet the owner hasn't been in the office for
quite a number of days. To that extent, one can say that having one of their
daughters or sons in the cabinet is indeed an issue treated with a great deal
of seriousness. This is the same path that saw many government managed
industries and parastatals collapsing due to lack of funds as the money meant
to serve the public was embezzled by officers from the same government in
shoddy transactions.
The
other area where people benefited tremendously, is by having one of their own is on the
procurement and tender process. This is perhaps arguably one of the biggest motivations
in the sense that the minister in charge benefited from kickbacks as long as
he/she ensures that certain companies won lucrative government contracts.
Perhaps not surprising, the same minister had stakes in the same companies
taking part in the tender process further complicating the process. These were
the days where wheel barrows and hospital equipment were procured at 3 to 4
times their actual market values.
Regarding
the nay answer, the issue of having one of our son or daughter in the
government, doesn’t translate to benefits to the entire community at least as
far as the situation stands. When Kenyans overwhelmingly voted for the new
constitution back in the year 2010, they wanted – among many other things - to
address most of the issues enumerated above plus many others in order to
restore professionalism and excellent service delivery in the public service.
Among the key issues that surround cabinet appointments, the lineup should be
such that it meets the constitution 1/3 gender representation plus regional
representation, over and above the professional qualifications and experience.
The
cabinet lineup proposed by both the president and his deputy, have given an
indication that there’s a desire by the government, to walk away from the past
way of doing things. Both men and women who have made it to the list have
distinguished resumes with illustrious careers both in the public and private sector.
The politics of the day however, couldn't just seat back and watch the situation as it unfolds. Leaders
from various communities have come out to express their displeasure concerning
the lack of one of their own yet they have numbers. The same sentiments are
shared by many Kenyans who find it convenient to discuss about such issues in
the dinner table.
When
all is said and done, what matters to the hoi polloi is that, they want a man
or woman who will deliver on the promises made during election time. Such men
and women should have impeccable credentials and integrity to match with it.
Anything to the contrary is utterly unacceptable!
