Government should cut wastage and bloated workforce

President William Ruto

President William Ruto briefs the media after holding talks with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the State House in Nairobi on May 18, 2023.  With so much resistance against the Finance Bill that is pending in the National Assembly, “the best the government can do is to look at itself with an honest eye and cut wastage and the bloated workforce”, says Thomas Yebei.

Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group

Cut wastage • With so much resistance against the Finance Bill that is pending in the National Assembly, “the best the government can do is to look at itself with an honest eye and cut wastage and the bloated workforce”, says Thomas Yebei. “The money saved can then be used to develop the country and pay national debts without adding an extra burden on the long-suffering hustlers.” His contact is [email protected].

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Revenue • Every year, university don XN Iraki notes, “the national and county governments haggle over revenue sharing”, adding: “Rarely do we hear heated arguments over revenue generation.” The focus on sharing and not generation, he believes, “is our soft underbelly”. He poses: “How do we reward those who generate revenue for the country? Money doesn’t grow on trees!” His contact is [email protected]

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Army engineers • Can’t Kenya Defence Forces’ engineers be assigned to build dams and other infrastructure projects instead of relying on the Chinese? asks Brian Maitai. “We’ve smart officers who understand the fundamentals of dam design such as seismic coefficients, strength, geology and slope stability, as well as the practical aspects of river diversion, and concrete batching.” His contact is [email protected].

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Double shock • Some recent occurrences have sent shockwaves across the entire country, says Richard Kihara. The first, he adds, was the discovery of more than 200 bodies buried in shallow mass graves in Shakahola, Kilifi County. “After the Shakahola religious cult starvation deaths, there is now the unfolding saga of condemned poisonous sugar finding its way into the market!” His contact is [email protected].

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Sweeteners • A sugar shortage should be the least of Kenyans’ worries, as they can easily do without the commodity, says Joe Ngige Mungai. “God has gifted us with a great country. If sugar is too expensive, then what stops us from keeping bees? After all, honey is great in tea, milk, and porridge. Besides, unlike processed sugar, pure honey has some medicinal value.” His contact is [email protected].

Have a curative day, won’t you!