Salary Crisis: Azimio Issues 11 New Demands To Ruto In 1700-Word Statement

Minority Leader in the National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi on Tuesday, April 11 demanded the urgent formation of a committee of finance experts and legislators to address the current financial crisis leading to scores of civil servants experiencing delays in being paid their salaries.

In a lengthy statement, Wandayi noted that the committee should urgently examine the expenditure regime, administration, and policies obtained at the National Treasury, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Registrar of Persons, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and associated public bodies in the revenue generation and collection chain.

Additionally, the committee should also examine and come up with a coherent explanation of the current crisis and how it came about as well as the government's response, which the Ugunja Member of Parliament attributed to gross neglect and dereliction of duty.

"We want a firm guarantee from this regime that the bad boys in its ranks are not creating grounds for the printing of money to fund salaries for government workers, curry favour with the military and pay political opponents," he stated in part.

Wandayi further expressed fear of the government going back to sketchy activities such as printing money as a response to crumbling under political and economic pressure, and that officials involved in corruption cases in the past who were appointed by President Ruto's government should be revoked.

"We believe that the many well-known crooks and corrupt officials who have been appointed to key positions by this regime are certainly on a stealing spree. Most of them are thieves by nature.

"They are termites eating the country from the vantage positions they hold. Kenyans are suffering because of those crooks. Those appointments need to be revoked," he demanded.

Wandayi also demanded an immediate and visible end to non-essential government expenditures that include the appointment of 50 Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS), a move which he alleged contributed to the bloated government at the moment, with a huge number of Cabinet Secretaries (CS) and multiple principal secretaries, directorates, advisors, aides and departments at the cost of the country's finances with no value to show for it.

"Ruto must cut or completely abolish money being spent on political operations that are disguised as relief food distribution or fundraisers. It makes no sense at all for a Cabinet secretary or a principal secretary to spend Ksh20 million on a chopper to distribute Ksh1 million worth of food.

"That is a job a chief or assistant chief or even MCA can do. It makes no sense for a principal secretary to spend Ksh10 million on a chopper to deliver Ksh200,000 on a fundraiser. This madness must stop in the interest of austerity," he went on.

He also called for the end to unnecessary domestic and international travel, conferences and workshops, and training, adding that he had advised Kenyans on what to do with any such conferences and retreats by government officials whose value is not clear.

"We repeat. Kenyans can't and won't tighten their belts any further. They have had enough. Their next available course of action is to force Kenya Kwanza to tighten its belt or force it out.

"We repeat. No civil servant is going to be retrenched while Ruto is busy hiring CASs and other personnel the country doesn't need. Not under our watch," he added.

Inside a past Parliament session. /DAILY NATION