Give Treasury CS nominee John Mbadi the benefit of doubt

I interestedly followed the proceeding of the interview for Cabinet Secretary nominee for National Treasury, Mr. John Mbadi, given the premium accorded to the position. Going by data mined from social media, the majority voices seemed dismissive, viewing Mbadi as an archetype of the litany of candidates who promise heaven but deliver hell. However, many others, yours truly included, chose optimism.

All the reactions notwithstanding, it’s important we interrogate why despondency reign the air. To be fair to those who dismissed Mbadi’s defense, herein labeled pessimists (without prejudice), Kenyans have previously witnessed candidates perform well during interviews only to turn overly ineffective once in office. We also got cases of those who were outright clueless during interviews, and, true to their performance, proved inept. But this is not the main reason why Kenyans are irate.

Its rumoured that the presidency doesn’t heed to advice from experts. Granted, Mbadi’s vast experience both as an accountant and a long-serving member of the parliamentary Budget Appropriation Committee, won’t count for anything. I don’t want to believe that this will be the case. Secondly, many have a feeling that Mbadi may join the long list of those who abandon their stand once in office.

On this, I leave him to his fate. Any right thinking citizen should be awake to the current ‘reject’ moment, hence, not do anything stupid. Mbadi will be too foolish to walk into trouble, considering not only the mood in the country, but his previous resolve for accountability.

The President, similarly, is seized of the current atmosphere of skepticism, rage and despair. He has equally learnt lessons from the shoddy performance of some of his picks, and the dishonesty from some cheerleaders, all who failed him. Going forward, everyone must do their work, and be seen as such.

The nominees, once approved, will form the first-ever Cabinet that will be under the radar of citizens. They must be awake to this reality once in office, with some of the questions asked during the interviews serving as clues, if not priority areas, as to what is expected of them.

Mr Mbadi must remain true to himself and the country, considering that the ‘reject’ moment erupted from his docket-to-be. He must lead the pack in finding money without necessarily overtaxing individuals and businesses. He must identify leakage points, wastage avenues and tax evasion schemes and hang them out to dry.

I heard him rightfully term our Constitution as unnecessarily expensive; he must follow through and in consultation suggest ways out of the conundrum. He must equally reign on the sleaze in the County governments, beginning with their corrupt procurement practices.

The 2020 National Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Policy must be adhered to in line with its promise – fairness, equity, transparency, competitiveness, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness.

The Public Procurement and Disposal Act 2015 must also be reviewed in the face of claims about corruption, delayed payments, high cost of bidding, vague specifications, infiltration, insider trading, unreasonable pricing and whatnot.

Did I hear some castigate Mbadi as merely theoretical? Let’s not parade our ignorance. Every practice has an underlying theory; the latter not only justifies decisions but informs future practice.

Dr. Wycliffe Osabwa (PhD), Lecturer, Alupe University. [[email protected]]