Kenya Would be Far if What Treasury CS Said Was True

On Wednesday evening, I watched keenly as the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, Henry Rotich read through the National Budget for the financial year 2016/2017.

The man was eloquent and clear in the points that he passed across. What he said before venturing deeply into the business of the day is what left me and some of my friends flabbergasted.

As the competent CS kept on chanting his budgetary figures, I kept on asking myself loudly whether the guy was talking about the Kenya I know or the Kenya that existed in his mind.

If what CS Rotich outlined at the beginning of his budget about this country were true, then Kenya would not be a third world country but sitting at the table with the superpowers of this world.

He outlined how the government of the day has installed state of the art cameras all over in an effort to curb and combat crime in the country. Ant sound mind knows what happens with the camera installation initiative.

The laud and clear CS proudly announced how the government was trying and in fact, winning the war against corruption. He said many cases were now before the judiciary awaiting determination. With this, I had to confirm whether I was in Kenya. I wondered whether the good CS was aware of the Chicken Gate scandal, the National Youth Service scandal, the Eurobond mystery, the Youth Fund riddle and many other known ongoing scandals.

The good CS was very clear about the Standard Gauge Railway. What he was not clear on was on who was funding it. At one point, he said that a greater percentage was being funded by the Chinese and the rest by the government of Kenya and at another point said that the project was being fully funded by the Chinese. Now, which SGR project was he talking about? Is it the one we know or there is another one being planned. He did not even mention the implications of Rwanda pulling out of the project and opting for Tanzania.

On the laptop project, which is boldly talked about in the Jubilee manifesto, I give the CS a plus on how he talked about it. The man went even a notch higher to quote some of statements from some of standard one pupils which sounded to like it came from teachers or from someone more educated than a class one pupil. That was good Mr. CS. What I failed to understand was whether those other pupils still learning under trees and sitting on stones were also going to move with others into the digital world or maybe the good CS was not aware.

The CS outlined the importance of agriculture in this country. That was good. He mentioned what such ambitious programs as Galana were doing. I only wondered whether he was talking about the Galana in Kenya because that project actually failed. Ask how many bags were harvested from the project and how much had be pumped in. The good CS also allocated more more for subsidized fertilizer for farmers. That was good. Amazing. But was the CS aware that farmers rarely get hold of that fertilizer? Was he aware that that fertilizer is usually repackaged and sold at a higher price?

Anyway, the budget was read but what I can assure you is that the money put aside is just for people to loot. That was not our budget but their budget, the looters. Watch and see.