02/23/2006
GRANTS
WECHE MOKADHO
;
[kca-info] KCA Statement: Cabinet Raises – This abuse Has
To Stop
KCA Statement: Cabinet Raises – This abuse Has To Stop
Issued: Wednesday, February 22, 2006
The Kenyan Community Abroad has learnt with deep sorrow and pain from
newspaper reports that monthly allowances for Kenyan cabinet ministers and their assistants have been hiked by a staggering 517% in the midst of famine that has taken the lives of thousands of Kenyans in various parts of the country.
The government of President Mwai Kibaki should recognize what the priorities in our country should be – containing poverty comes to mind, so does corruption and a myriad of other socials ills that have bedeviled us for 40-some years. It seems as if we never learn anything from prior mistakes despite the wave of outrage that greeted the increase of pay perks for members of parliament in the early days of this administration.
This government was hoisted into power against the backcloth of a promise to manage the affairs of the country as prudently as best it could. But the manner in which the already bloated cabinet of 34 ministers and their 49 assistants has increased their pay perks and other allowance in the midst of deprivation smells of betrayal and utter selfishness. It smirks of disregard to the plight of the suffering wananchi and clearly demonstrates a lack of concern for the
people that form the back-bone of the Kenyan economy.
It does nothing but to sow seeds of discord between the executive and the governed, even as the cost of living for the common mwananchi escalates beyond imaginable levels with no prospects of income-replenishing sources.
This cannot continue to happen if we are to maintain stability as a united country.
It is important to understand that there are under currents that suggest that national resources are not being shared equally amongst Kenyans. In the backdrop of the on-going investigations into Anglo-Leasing and Goldenburg, not to mention the Ndung'u land report, it does not seem prudent nor sane for ministerial allowance increases while people are dying of hunger!
We are concerned that the administration has turned a blind eye to the plight of wananchi but all too eager and willing to pander to the whims of members of the cabinet without any iota of concern to the negative economic impacts such selfish increase in salaries and emoluments will have on the slowly recovering economy.
These shocking developments lead us to surmise that this government is hitting the panic button and is not intent on pursuing its mandate.
We are deeply disturbed about what the priorities are. As dictated by self-serving parliamentarians, a carnival mood for themselves with privileges beyond belief has emerged, while ignoring those dying of hunger.
Additionally, every hardworking Kenyan is aware of the fact pay increase is tied to performance. It is unassailable that the Cabinet's performance has been distinctively below the expectation of hardworking Kenyans. It mocks our hard work when our taxes are used to reward inexplicable substandard work that has seen thousands of Kenyans die and wither in light of the current drought.
The Kenyan Community Abroad (KCA) wishes to remind His Excellency Mwai Kibaki of his inauguration speech on December 27th 2002. In that
speech, the newly elected President eloquently promised Kenyans a lean, clean, transparent and accountable government. We hold the president to his words and cannot hesitate to remind him that the buck stops with him.
We hope that the President will review and rescind these increases in allowances for Cabinet ministers and their assistants. The saved Kes 100MM can be used to defray the costs of feeding the hunger ravaged Kenyans that have no idea what an SUV looks like. It makes absolutely no sense to go begging abroad for food relief assistance when we are busy exorbitantly paying ministers that are wrought in corruption scandals.
The Kenyan Community Abroad,
P.O. Box 5635
Washington, D.C. 20016, USA
E-mail - info@kenyansabroad.org
Web – http://www.kenyansabroad.org
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