Kenyan ministers hang onto limos

BY JUDIE KABERIA
Updated : 307days and 13 hours and 51 minutes ago

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 30 - Majority of Cabinet Ministers, their Assistants and Permanent Secretaries on Friday still clung to their fuel guzzlers and refused to pick VW Passat replacements.

Only 17 Cabinet Ministers and 19 Assistant Ministers had returned the high capacity vehicles by the deadline. The Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura is among 11 Permanent Secretaries and accounting officers who beat the deadline and returned their vehicles. Kenya has 41 Cabinet Ministers and 52 Assistant Ministers.

Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta issued the directive to buy less expensive vehicles as austerity measures to cut down on government expenses in his June Budget.

Internal Security Minister George Saitoti, Environment Minister John Michuki, Gender Minister Esther Murugi and Housing Minister Soita Shitanda, were among those who had returned their vehicles.

On Thursday the Ministries of Northern Kenya Development, Transport, Labour, Cooperative, Finance and Justice and Constitutional Affairs, were said to have returned their high-end vehicles.

Only a few Ministers allied to Orange Democratic Movement complied with Mr Kenyatta’s directive. Others, including Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang questioned the rationale behind the purchase of the smaller engine cars and read a sinister motive in it.

“It is not because we are saving money, it is because somebody is making money, not the government I serve. If they want to seize them, let them come and seize them, I will not resist. I will let them bring their Passat, but I am not surrendering it (Mercedes), because the reason for surrendering is a false reason,” he said.

In total, only 65 heavy engine vehicles were surrendered by the Friday deadline.

Following the deal between Cooper Motor Corporation (the company supplying the new vehicles) and the government, the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee on Thursday said it would establish if the tendering process was above board.

The Finance Minister defended the move to purchase the new vehicles from CMC, arguing the government needed to get an immediate cut off point and any other system would have taken time to implement.

"The government has a clear policy on how it purchases its vehicles and I am confident all rules were adhered to," he said and invited all those with queries to check up with Treasury about how the procurement process was conducted.

The directive to surrender all cars exceeding 1800cc applies to all government officials. Only the President, Prime Minister and Vice President are exempt from the directive.

Some ministers and their assistants however argued it was not possible for them to work in rural areas without the 3000cc engine capacity cars.

The government has yet to decided what action will take against those clinging to the expensive cars.

One hundred and twenty Volkswagen Passat cars have been imported to be used by top government officials in a bid to save taxpayers about Sh2 billion being spent on fuelling and maintenance of expensive models.

Each Ministry has been allocated at least three Passats.

Comments (5) posted

wash (November 02nd, 2009, 2:01 PM)

what is the difference in fuel per between a merc and a passat?

LYDIA MUTUNE (November 01st, 2009, 8:47 PM)

the idea was nice but the minister of finance should have followed the correct procedures for government procurement. However where theres smoke theres fire,hon Kajwang might be knowing the truth behind the fishy deal and the best thing is time will tell but for kenya it can take longer considering such issues that involve the Big fish have always taken a longer root.

SIMON (November 01st, 2009, 3:44 AM)

ONLY A FOOL SHOULD THINK THAT PASSAT IS A MUCH MORE COST EFFECTIVE CAR THAN MERCEDES. KENYANS SHOULD STOP THE MENTALITY OF "FUEL ECONOMY". MODERN CARS ARE GEARED TOWARDS MORE FUEL SAVING ATTRIBUTES. AND TO STEVO, A COMPLAINT FROM AN EAL MP WHO HIMSELF HAS BEEN A LOCAL MP AND FAILED IN THE PAST, DOES NOT JUSTIFY AN OUTBURST AGAINST MUDAVADI AND KAJWANG WHO ARE MERELY STATING FACTS. HOW COME THE MERCS ARE NOT BEING SURRENDERED TO DT DOBIE FOR RESALE. SOMEONE WANTS TO PLAY GAMES HERE.

Elijah Andika (October 31st, 2009, 1:50 PM)

In my view,hon. Mudavadi, hon Kajwang and their likes in the back yard are being used by their leader to politicize the process. I have a remedy, let them have the vehicles so long as they are ready to fuel them by themselves. Hon Kajwang is a shrewd steward by nature there is no way he can change, unless he meets Jesus on the way to Mbita!

stevo (October 30th, 2009, 11:26 PM)

If the likes of Mudavadi want to lead Kenya, they should accept to be lead where they have done nothing. Mudavadi was a finance minister at some time and he can't show any policy he put in place that is Kenyacentric. Otieno Kajwang is a disbarred lawyer i.e a dishonesty man. If his clients could not trust him to an extent of being disbarred, how can Kenyans trust what he is saying? Let the Mudavadi and the Kajwang's of today surrender those cars that have sucked every drop of Kenyan's blood to gratify the very selfish, idiotic and moronic leaders of their ilk who can't think for a second and see the true picture of the situation that the people they represent undergo each and every day. True men and women of courage do make sacrifices for their people. The other day I saw a complaint from an EAL from great lakes that leaders from that region have fogotten the very people whom sent them to parliament. Mudavadi and Kajwang come from that region. No wonder! MPs of Mudavadi's and Kajwang's midset should know whatever has a beginning has an end too.

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