Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has challenged journalists to subject politicians seeking elective office to tougher scrutiny, particularly on how they intend to address the country’s economic challenges.
Mbadi said candidates seeking to become president, governors, senators and MPs should be required to explain in detail what they would do if elected, rather than being allowed to make broad promises about improving people’s lives.
“When someone wants to become a president of a country, my friend, please put that person to task. President is not a joke,” Mbadi told journalists.
He criticised the media for what he described as a failure to hold political leaders to account, urging journalists to ask candidates specific questions on issues such as housing, employment and public debt.
“You ask them tough questions on economy, they will tell you nothing,” he said.
Mbadi said journalists should go beyond asking politicians whether they support or oppose government programmes and instead ask them to provide workable alternatives.
“If someone is saying the housing problem is bad, what options, what alternatives do they have in terms of housing for this country?” he asked.
He also challenged politicians criticising country’s public debt to explain how they would manage the country’s obligations without undermining investors and holders of government securities.
Mbadi was speaking a day after the High Court nullified the proposed partial divestiture of the government’s 15 percent stake in Safaricom.
The Treasury has said it intends to appeal the ruling, arguing that the proposed sale had followed the required legal and parliamentary processes.
Mbadi said the government remained confident that the transaction had been subjected to extensive public participation and scrutiny.
“We have already filed the intention to appeal,” he said, adding that the government would pursue further judicial review through the Court of Appeal.
He also sought to reassure investors, saying Kenya had functioning institutions and a judicial system through which decisions could be challenged.
“We have a country that respects the rule of law and a country that protects investment,” he said.
Economic record
The Treasury secretary also defended the government’s management of public debt, saying its priority was not to eliminate borrowing altogether but to ensure that debt remained sustainable.
He said the government had restructured some maturing obligations to reduce pressure in the near term, including debt due in 2027 and 2028.
Mbadi also defended the use of Article 223 of the Constitution in relation to Treasury expenditure, saying about Sh86bn had been used for Eurobond liability management.
He criticised what he said was insufficient scrutiny of the expenditure by journalists, arguing that reporters should have asked what the money was being used for before publishing stories about Treasury spending.
He similarly explained that money listed under security operations at the Treasury related to the leasing of government vehicles, including police vehicles, rather than direct security operations by the ministry.
“If there is anything that you want to know at the National Treasury, I will always communicate,” he said.
Mbadi said the Treasury should no longer be viewed as an institution whose operations were inaccessible to the public.
“The National Treasury belongs to you. It belongs to the people of Kenya,” he said.
He urged journalists to apply the same level of scrutiny to government officials and opposition politicians, saying public debate should focus on concrete policies and their likely effects.
“If I want to be president, like I want to be in future, ask me what I will do differently,” Mbadi said.
Leave a comment