Is Uhuru Auctioning Cabinet Positions to weak Billionaires? There was a time when the now clueless Atwoli alleged that the President was auctioning CS positions to millionaires. The COTU boss said this after Uhuru took more than 3 weeks to appoint and constitute a cabinet.
Former Nyeri Senator Mutahi Kagwe is set to join the club of super-rich members of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet following his nomination to head the Health docket.
According to documents tabled in the Parliament last week, Mutahi Kagwe’s net wealth was estimated to be Sh667.8 million.
Kagwe defended himself that he owns two firms, His public relations firm, Tell-Em made Sh2.87 million profit while research agency TNS RMS East Africa generated Sh2.625 million last year.
“I am worth what I am worth as a result of my hard work. I started doing feasibility studies in my room at Hall 2 at the University of Nairobi and for over 40 years I must have made some money,” Mr Kagwe told the parliamentary committee chaired by Speaker Justin Muturi.
Last month, President Uhuru appointed Kagwe to replace the embattled Sicily Kariuki who was reshuffled to the Water and Sanitation ministry. Sicily Kariuki is said to be worth Sh210 million, she joined the Cabinet with a declared wealth level of Sh168 million.
A former director at Betting Control and Licensing Board Simon Chelugui declared that he’s worth Sh796 when he was appointed as Water and Sanitation Secretary in 2018 before being reshuffled to the Labour ministry.
According to documents presented in the Parliament during the approval Sessions, Rashid Echesa was estimated to be worth Sh40 Million. Are you surprised how he can still pull a Sh39 billion scam?
Uhuru’s Cabinet has well, according to Kenyan Education System, schooled secretaries who are a real reflection of why Jubilee is a flop and was a terrible political force from the word go. Learned CSs who have embarrassed the President equally just as the President’s reign has done to the wananchi.
Dr Cleopa Mailu who was dropped from the Health docket and Mr Mwangi Kiunjuri who got sacked from agriculture docket were also in the super- rich league of CS. Mailu was worth Sh615 million and Mwangi was worth Sh798 million.
The Treasury CS Ukur Yattani declared 2 years ago that he’s worth Sh295 million that Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani.
In the details provided to the committee which conducted the vetting, Keriako Tobiko, who was appointed to head the Environment docket had an estimated net worth of Sh360 million comprising investments in real estate, agriculture, and livestock.
Peter Munya before being appointed to head Agriculture Ministry, the then CS nominee for East African Community and Northern Corridor Development, the former Meru Governor estimated his total net worth at Sh264,100,000. His investments are real estate, agriculture, and land.
Ambassador Farida Chepchumba Karoney, former Royal Media Services Ltd Chief Operating Officer and CS Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning informed the committee that her net worth was Sh200 million investments in shares, farming, and real estate.
Both Monica Juma(Foreign Affairs and International Trade) and John Munyes (Petroleum and Mining) are each worth Sh50 Million. The list is probably too long—you can check out the full list of Uhuru’s Cabinet Secretaries here.
The list has also tycoons and other deep state businessmen and women that sponsor the presidency and influence the Cabinet appointments. Is this why the government never works for the people? How will the public fight these financial masculinized cartels? How will a common mwananchi wish for the best when the top and the rest of its circle are running a parallel economy?
The Public Officer Ethics Act requires all State officers to submit their wealth declaration forms once every two years.
Why is the Cabinet creating selective billionaires? How comes the CSs have businesses that are making profits during this tough economic times!
