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Treasury CS John Mbadi speaks in Ndhiwa as his feud with Winnie Odinga escalates. [James Omoro, Standard]
Apparently, John Mbadi of the “Give Ruto his skunk” fame, believes that elective office is the prerequisite for offering counsel to those in power. In October 2022, Mbadi told his colleagues in Parliament that William Ruto’s Cabinet nominees were incompetent and unqualified, and that approving them was tantamount to giving the President “his skunk”. At the time, it sounded like bold and legitimate criticism.
The tragedy today is that Mr Mbadi now sits at the helm of the National Treasury, defending the economic policies of the same man whose Cabinet he ridiculed. And having crossed the Rubicon, Mbadi is determined to police who has the right to advise the leaders he once attacked. Such arrogance is stupendous.
The belief that a ballot paper confers intellectual superiority is one of the most ridiculous fictions in Kenya. Ideas do not emerge from ballot boxes. Wisdom does not reside in party membership cards. A voter who has lived through hunger, insecurity and collapsing public services understands those realities far better than the politician who flies above them in a helicopter. The notion that such a voter must first win an elective seat before their counsel is valid is the defensive crouch of leaders terrified of being found out.
