Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:04:10 -0400
From: Dan Orao

When it comes to the creation of public jobs no other country does better than Kenya. Sometimes I wish the energy and creativity that Kenyan politicians and their supporters devote to creating government cabinet jobs could be put towards creating jobs in the private sector. In this country public hopes are always raised and dashed, elections come and go, tribal conflicts flare up and simmer down, politicians keep their higher salaries and benefits and poor people remain poor. The euphoria of Annan’s power sharing agreement will soon fade away. Today the public and international community is being told that peace has returned to the country. Tourists are coming back, foreign governments are being asked to provide aid for internal refugees. Mr Kibaki and Mr. Odinga are debating on how to divide the cabinet posts amongst their supporters. MPs from all parties and tribes are making secret deals for these positions.

Public Memo to Onyangos, Atienos Kimanis, Wanjirus Wanjalas, Mohameds, Fatumas Chelgets and many other Kenya tribes who had hoped for meaningful political and economic change from this election: These job openings are for POLITICIANS ONLY. As we speak the following additional ministry positions are being proposed to accommodate MPS from various political parties and tribes: Ministry of Nairobi Metro, Ministry of National Harmony and Cohesion, Ministry of Rice, Ministry of Implementation of vision 2030. God knows if the country had these ministries before the general election, there may have been no deaths in Nairobi metro slums, no tribal killings in Naivasha / Nakuru, Rift valley or Kisumu. The Rice Ministry may have prevented the current food shortage and starvation in internal refugee camps and Kenya villages. The Ministry of Vision 2030 could have helped ECK to run legitimate elections and how to count the votes.

If the country is going to have 44+ cabinet ministries I too would like to forward the following Ministries to Mr Kibaki and Mr. Odinga for consideration: Ministry of Kisumu Metro, Ministry of Tribal affairs (to be run by tribal elders of my village NOT politicians), Ministry of Millet ( the grain many people eat), Ministry of Dog Catcher (there are many stray dogs in the country spreading rabies), Ministry of Monkey Control (these creatures are causing a lot of starvation by destroying crops), Ministry of Podiatry (to control jiggers for pedestrians), Ministry of Polygamy (to control marriages between adult males and young females per tribal cultures in some part of this country), Ministry of Women’s Affairs (protecting women from polygamous marriages and male abuses), Ministry of the Unemployed (specializing in youth for hire for political events), Ministry of Bribery and Corruption (specializing in how to tax stolen money for the government) and last but not least the Ministry of Camels and Donkeys (the majority of Kenyans deserve to have these animals in the government). The money spent in building roads is a waste of resources; donkeys are the way to go. I welcome fellow Kenyans to add other ministries I might have left out. These cabinet posts don’t need education qualifications or job experience. They only require you know someone important and have the correct party affiliations and tribal loyalty.

The cost to pay for the bloated ministries will be done the old fashion of simply printing more money. Nobody remembers or pays attention to what it is costing Kenya treasury to pay off retired and current Mp’s benefits anyway. It was not long ago when these current and former MP-S took Sh. 1.5million severance on top of their normal salaries and benefits before the election. Laws passed by politicians for politicians in 2002 now entitled them to earn Sh. 3,000,000 for every year served in parliament. This is just for severance pay. The total cost for severance pay for the 210 MPS not including nominated MPS is Sh. 315,000,000 million at the end of the five-year term. The annual pension for a regular MP is Sh.3.8 million. For a Minister it is Sh. 4.2 million and for the Assistant minister it is Sh. 3.9 million. If you factored in annual salary, expense allowances and pension benefits you can see why the best jobs in Kenya are in the parliament. Many companies and governments in the world can only offer matching funds for pensions for their employees up to 5%. In Kenya, MPS only pay 12.6% of their annual salary and the government pays 25.4% into the pension fund. What a bargain! In the last election for example fifteen Assistant Ministers not coming back will get Sh.5 million each. Ministers who served more than two terms gets a Sh.1.5 million lump sum and Sh. 95,000 monthly payment for life. A regular MP who served two terms gets 1.4 million lump sum and monthly payment of 90,000 for life. Kenya voters may not want to hear this but looking at these numbers now you know why these
politicians are using you all the time during elections. The return on investment (ROI) in Kenyan politics speaks for itself based on these numbers. The poor voters are often losers in a system that awards elected officials these hefty benefits. In sports there is always a next game. In Kenyan politics there is always another election coming around the corner. The campaign positioning for the 2012 election has already begun with the selection of the cabinet ministries.

Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister, damn your parties and tribal loyalty for the first time and be statesmen that stand for Kenya. Nobody won or lost this election and this is why you have agreed to lead the “power sharing government”. You need to divide all Prime and Ordinary Ministries equally and find qualified people to run these ministries. Don’t turn the selection of these cabinet posts into welfare for your supporters and tribes. All MPs should feel free to quit this government or party if they don’t get cabinet posts and they should not hold the interest of the country hostage during the cabinet selection process. The country cannot afford to pay the salaries and benefits of more than 34 Ministries. I suggest if you are going to expand these ministries then make changes in the constitution to create part-time legislators. You may want to “think outside the box” by appointing ONLY new MPs who have never held cabinet posts and can bring new ideas to this government. The old guards who have held various cabinets post in this country will still get their government compensation for life. Permanent Secretaries can be used to bring new ministers up to speed in their respective ministries.

Current MPs need to lead by example and donate a part of their salaries to help the internal refugees in this country. After all their salary comes from public funds that they have voted for. Using salaries for this noble course will not affect the MPs’ wealth or future government benefits. The MP’s personal contributions can encourage international donors to help these refugees in Kenya. The actual cabinet appointments will not make any difference whether a member of your tribe get cabinet post or not. These politicians will do what they have always done, and that is making money in these public posts. The public should not even waste time by demonstration, missing work or destroying properties because one of your own did not get the cabinet post. Can the country afford the cost of 44 Ministries? NO!

Dan M. Orao
Michigan, USA

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Subject: CAN THE COUNTRY AFFORD 44 MINISTRIES?