A lean Grand coalition

A couple of weeks ago, I thought the cabinet might be a sticky issue and its proving the same. I don't think the two principals and their backers realise the kind of mess we are in.It hurts and is embarrassing to hear otherwise sane and intelligent people talk about a 40-member cabinet. In simple terms, that would mean Ksh0.5bn on the cabinet ministers' salos alone. And another Ksh0.5bn for their idling assistant ministers- more than enough to finance 20 constituencies. My plan is a simple, but probably too unrealistic. Have a target of 18 cabinet positions (that would include two ministries for the two DPMs).The other 16 would be two ministers per province i.e. regional balance taken care of. As for the ministries;

1. Economic & Planning with an assistant minister specifically to manage CDFs
2. Foreign Affairs with an assistant minister for East Africa
3. Home Affairs (internal security, provincial administration & defence) with an assistant ministers in charge of Internal Security and provincial administration
4. Constitutional Affairs with an assistant minister
5. Health with an assistant minister
6. Energy  and water with an assistant minister for water resources
7. Information & Communication with an assistant minister looking after internet
8. Roads & Infrastructure with an assistant minister looking after roads alone
9. Local Government & Urban Planning with an assistant minister in charge of urban planning
10. Housing with an assistant minister for slum clearance
11. Employment & Diversity with an assistant minister for Ethnic,Gender and Disability
12. Trade & Industry with an assistant minister
13. Education & Research with an assistant minister for higher education & research
14. Agriculture, Land, Environment and Natural Resources with 2 assistant ministers, one for agriculture livestock and land and the other for Environment & natural resources
    
15. Regional development and co-operatives with an assistant minister.
16. Special projects with an asistant minister for youth and sports

Clay Muganda's piece in last Friday's printed edition of the Nation seems to have a rubbed a few diasporans the wrong way. The guy is right though in many ways. A lot of us were big tribal merchants right from mid-2007 and many have not even finished. And we do love pontificating about what is wrong with Kenya... as do many journalists.