- The appointment of Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u as Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury & Economic Planning was least expected. As the head of the Treasury, he is the engine of the government and depending on how he executes his duties, the economy can recover, remain stagnant or sink deeper, he is from Murang’a County
By The Weekly Vision
The appointments of technocrats and politicians from Mount Kenya to key financial dockets by President William Ruto have raised eyebrows among a section of leaders from the region. Some people claim that the president is technically fixing the region in case the economy fails to grow. Political analysts say President Ruto is a shrewd politician who knows which buttons to press to shift blame to other quarters in case things go south. It is not by chance that the President has appointed key individuals from the region in finance and economic planning.
It is feared that if the economy fails, President Ruto will quickly shift blame to the officeholders in the finance and economic dockets majority of who are from the Mount Kenya region. According to the Public Finance Management Act, 2012, the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Planning (the Cabinet Secretary) shall with the approval of the Cabinet make a public pronouncement of the budget policy highlights and revenue-raising measures for the national government. The appointment of Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u as Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury & Economic Planning was least expected. As the head of the Treasury, he is the engine of the government and depending on how he executes his duties, the economy can recover, remain stagnant or sink deeper, he is from Murang’a County.
Still at the treasury, President Ruto appointed former National Treasury PS Kamau Thugge as the Central Bank of Kenya Governor. He will replace Dr Patrick Njoroge who has served as the ninth CBK governor. Njoroge is set to exit on June 17, 2023. Mr Thugge is from Nyeri County. Another appointee of the president from the Mount Kenya region in the Finance and Economic sector is Economist David Ndii. He is the chairperson of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors (CEA), and he is from Kiambu County. From Muranga County is Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro. He is the chairman of the powerful Budgets and Appropriations Committee. The committee’s core mandate is to investigate and report on all matters related to the coordination, control, and monitoring of the national budget.
The team evaluates tax estimates, economic and budgetary policies, and programmes with a direct budget. The committee serves for a three-year calendar and shall be reconstituted thereafter for the remainder of the parliamentary term. Still, in parliament, the Departmental Committee on Finance & National Planning is chaired by Francis Kuria Kimani. He is the MP for Molo Constituency. For a long time, agriculture has been considered the backbone, the main contributor; to Kenya’s economic growth Molo Constituency is rich in agricultural produce. The other department that President Ruto has given to the Mount Kenya region is Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mithika Linturi, He is from Meru County. The chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Livestock Development is James Kamau, he is Senator Kirinyaga County.
