13 November 2009
editorial
Nairobi — Three weeks after the expiry of the deadline issued by Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta, several Cabinet and assistant ministers as well as permanent secretaries are yet to return their fuel-guzzling vehicles, raising questions about discipline in the government.
The culprits are eight ministers, eight assistant ministers and six permanent secretaries.
The defaulters are comparatively few in a government with 96 ministers and assistant ministers, indicating that the vehicle policy introduced in the Budget speech in June is beginning to pay off.
Nonetheless, the point remains that a directive must be adhered to and the few non-complying fellows should be brought to account.
Some ministers have questioned the wisdom of restricting them to only the Volkswagen Passat without an option of using other vehicles of a similar engine capacity.
Clearly, this is a valid concern that the Treasury needs to deal with.
But there are other fundamental issues that need to be tackled. One is the disposal of the returned vehicles in a manner that generates revenue for the Government.
Underlying this contention is the fact that, in the past, the disposal of Government vehicles was marred by major scams.
Wheeler-dealers in the Government ensured that they were sold at throw-away prices, and they quickly paid and took them at the expense of other potential buyers.
Another is that replacing the big fuel consumers is just but one step in controlling vehicle costs. The Government loses money through other holes.
For example, what is being done to control workshops, retreats and seminars that ministries convene every time they want to do anything? What about the numerous taskforces and committees?
The policy on vehicles was long overdue and must be implemented to the letter, and those who have not complied should be punished.
But cost cutting must go beyond vehicles to target all areas of government spending.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
