President William Ruto’s Chief Economic Advisor David Ndii, on Saturday, April 8, revealed that the head of state was considering a handshake with Azimio la Umoja Leader Raila Odinga, despite having advocated against the same.
In a series of statements, Ndii argued that a handshake was possible, especially, considering Kenya’s state of the economy
According to Ndii, Ruto’s main concerns were a stable political environment and a thriving national economy that would benefit everyone in the chain.
“I have news for you. The first obligation of a government is survival and political stability. The more the dynasties foment destabilisation, the more we will have to spend on political capital.
Ndii was responding to concerned citizens who demanded answers on the state of the economy, especially, in the wake of delayed salaries for public servants and employees in parastatals.
“If push comes to shove, handshake is always an option. How much do you think that will cost?” Ndii asked those who were trolling Ruto’s government.
As the chairman of the Presidential Council of Economic Advisors, he also defended the government’s wage bill regarding the appointment of 50 Cabinet Administrative Secretaries (CAS).
This is after Kenyans questioned President Ruto’s recent decisions to increase the number from 22 in President (Rtd) Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime to 50 in his.
“Retrench the 50 CAS. Not needed. These are gifts to political supporters. Rutos does not need them for re-election. They are only 50 votes.
“(Prime CS Musalia) Mudavadi’s wife does not need an office, (duties) that line ministries can take. Austerity savings does not mean expanding govt,” a concerned citizen, Francis Hunt, responded to Ndii.
In Ruto’s defence, Ndii claimed that the 50 CASs salaries and allowances did not constitute a significant part of the national wage bill.
Earlier, Raila demanded the government revisit the 2008 National Accord which birthed the 2010 Grand Coalition Government. The former Prime Minister argued that a bipartisan approach via Parliament would not address the key issues he raised, including lowering the cost of living, reconstituting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), opening IEBC servers and the resurrection of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
Kenyans also demanded answers over reports that salaries for public servants had adversely been delayed across all government departments.
Some Kenyans found offence in Ndii’s insinuation that President Ruto had to choose between serving the loans acquired by the previous regime or paying the salaries.
“Having a loan doesn’t mean you stop feeding to service it, there can never be any justification for not paying salaries, mark you not only are the employees affected but the larger extended families they support,” one Kiplagat Kipkoech stated.
In a counter-argument, the Economic Advisor claimed that the government was financially constrained at a time when there was a need for proper structural adjustments.
“Is public finance that difficult? It’s reported every other day, debt service is consuming 60 per cent of revenue. Liquidity crunches come with the territory.
“When maturities bunch up, or revenue falls short, or markets shift, something has to give. Salaries or default? Take your pick,” Ndii stated.
