Why unchecked privileges come naturally for Cabinet Secretaries in Kenya
Despite being a developing nation, Kenya’s economy is listed among the most expensive and costly across the world.
This is largely attributed to high taxes and levies and misuse of public resources by government officials, leaving the common man – Wanjiku – with no alternative but to bear the heavy costs.
However, with the evolution of technology and digital space, Kenyans are using the platform to put leaders to account.
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The say the internet never forgets, and in some cases it has played a great role in shaping and streamlining services delivery in government and also in the private sector.
As President William Ruto pushes his Cabinet to deliver the services he promised in his manifesto, his government continues to face criticism from the public for the excesses and privileges that Cabinet Secretaries enjoy.
In a recent article a local site summed up this trend thus:
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“Kenyan Cabinet Secretaries are ever in a rush; sirens, security detail, traffic cleared, including CS Agriculture, yet maize takes even seven months to grow.”
Apparently, unchecked privileges and hefty perks is a Kenyan thing for top government officials. Even during the previous regimes, the now retired CSs and ministers enjoyed the same privileges.
Elected leaders too enjoy more or less the same VVIP treatment.
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Which begs the question, do officials serving in the same capacities in the First World countries similarly inconvenience the citizenry, especially on the roads?
Apparently, when our leaders fly abroad their security details bid them goodbye at the airport. Their top-of-the-range fuel guzzlers also remain behind.
Still, many Kenyans were surprised on discovering that President Ruto, among other African leaders, were ferried by bus to Westminster Abbey to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral last September.
In a viral photo, President Ruto was seen seated next to his wife Rachel, with his Tanzanian counterpart, President Samia Suluhu seated close by.
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