No Capable Young Kenyan Men Hence John Michuki’s Appointment As Finance Minister

The appointment of John Michuki as acting minister of Finance is a joke, only that it is not that funny in a country reeling with too many problems and in fact on the verge of shutting down altogether.

It also clearly sends forth the message to Kenyans that this administration is not about to break the Kikuyu hold on matters finance in Kenya.

Incredibly John Michuki is a man who seems to have built a reputation amongst the Kenyan public for getting things done. Huh!!! And this is one of the reasons why his appointment has even been received with excitement in some quarters. This illustrates just how easy it still is for politicians in this country to fool the masses with mere words. Amos Kimunya, the serial liar told the public many lies which were hardly questioned and one would like to think that people and even journalists have become a little wearier of statements from politicians by now.

John Michuki was Minister of Transport early in the Kibaki administration and was praised for bringing order to the previously chaotic industry. Meanwhile nobody questioned the collapse of the Stagecoach Kenya Bus Services and the rapid rise of Citti Hoppa. Stagecoach, the last owners of Kenya Bus is a UK based multi-national launched with a single old bus by the children of a former bus driver (a brother and his sister) and have built a reputation for their ability to fight their way to the top despite fierce competition. So how is it that they failed in Kenya and without a fight? Who owns Citti Hoppa? Is there any connection between its' ownership and the new Finance Minister?

After the ill-fated 2007 general elections Mr Michuki was briefly appointed Minister for Roads. In his characteristic fashion, he called numerous press conferences to tell Kenyans that under his watch, the days for cowboy contractors were over. But o date nobody has done any analysis to find out how many contractors were deregistered during his tenure at the ministry. And even more telling why companies owned by a notorious cowboy contractor called Ephrahim Maina (of Kirinyaga Construction fame) are still doing business as usual. Mr Maina is even now a Member of parliament.

What we should now expect from Mr Michuki is a flurry of exciting press conferences to whisper many sweet nothings into the ears of the Kenyan people.

However the biggest question that the world will ask out there when they see the old relic of a grandfather limping his way around at the Treasury is simple; are there no young capable men and women left in Kenya?

P.S. I am told that John Michuki’s appointment contrary to what I wrote in an earlier post (that a PNU appointment would make it easier for Kenyans to get to the bottom of the Grand Regency saga) is mainly to cover up the truth. He is a trusted personal friend of the president and yet most Kenyans trust him too. They say that we must now brace ourselves for the kind of cover up that will make all other cover ups of the past look like child’s play. Let’s wait and see shall we?