Sunday, August 12, 2007

Can Kenya afford a 40 car entourage for the President?

  1. Does the fact that UK 's PM uses 3 cars (there were questions in parliament when there was a 20 minute traffic hold up while he was passing) make him less important?
  2. Positive discrimination, great idea, but why do we need to create an additional 50/60 seats (total cost circa k360m) when we can easily accommodate them within the 210 constituencies? We could instead use this cash to hire additional judges/magistrates to clear the 1 million backlog of cases. Or even computerise Kenya's land map.
  3. Each province has a PC, several DCs, several DOs, several chiefs, several sub chiefs. You also have several mayors, councillors and MPs. Since they all get paid, what do all these people do?
  4. 34 ministers and a full GoK made up of 84 ministers some who have nothing to do taking home Ksh100m+ per year in pay alone? I my missing something?

My guka (grandpa) a man ahead of his time in many ways,used to say that Kenya should advertise for a CEO who would have a rolling two year contract to fix our economy and politics. Do you have a better idea given the array of aspiring leaders (in the loosest sense) we have?

6 comments:

The Black Mamba said...

To be honest with you, I long gave up on Kenya a long time ago. Come elections later this year I can assure you that the voters will not disappoint. You can expect a similar crop of leaders based on tribal ideology.

jackie said...

Its quite shameful considering we have one of the widest gaps between the rich and the poor. The government should be doing more to bridge the gap. Its quite unjustifiable, so are the plans to backdate the MPs salaries. Sometime back this was highlighted on 'The unreported world, C4 documentary. I love Kenya but sometimes you can help but feel it a hopeless situation. We need a big change but its not going to happen with the present govt or opposition.

John Maina said...

I was shocked that despite the m.p's and ministers already earning over 1m, being in control of the CDF, others earning kickbacks, allowed to do private business, hardly attending parliment, having other exorbitantly undeserved and untaxed benefits, were talking of giving themselves a 5 years send off worth 2-3m.

come to think of it someone once said we get the "leaders" we deserve hence some have been in their positions even before I was born-am not young.

MainaT said...

Ssem-while I can understand your despair, for some of us who have all or most of their relas in Kenya, giving up on our nation is not a solution.This would mean that our game plan is to continue helping our relas for the rest of their/our lives. If only prayers will change Kenya, we'll pray until we Kenyans (1) start using our heads (2) realise the urgencyof our rectifying our situation. I normally compare the speed we likedoing things to walking when others are flying-you'll soon find that you can't even see them despite have similar destinations in mind.
Jackie-See you prepare to stand for election in 2012-you have 21 votesin the bag already!
JM-Corruption is one of those issues where you can see a politician thinking, "let me finish eating and then I'll start fixing the problem".There are many other examples where common sense just doesn't seem to be very common.

jacm said...

Thanks for your vote of confidence tm. I however think you'll make a far much better candidate, so count me in your 'entoutage' I think you will be allowed a few with a modest salary. During our youth a lot envisaged prosperity for Kenya, at such a young age, there was that pride to be a kenyan. A couple of decades later, there is a partial loss of hope, no vision of prosperity. However we have to remain partially optimistic, that there will be change someday and that hopefully it will happen in our lifetime. The big challenge for us is to participate in that change.

MainaT said...

As we speak, I've just registered these political parties OTTE (Our Time To EAT; MDM (Mango Democratic Movement; MDM-K (in case mu imagined enemies register it); New ODM and New NARC. Some are in readiness for when Kibz needs a party, and Mudavadi et al. And one for me.

Seriously though, politics is one sport I am happy to watch than participate in. I even avoid talking politics and this post was anomaly-notice the finance-slant on it.