By X.N. Iraki
Nairobi, Kenya: One of the most popular hobbies for the young people is watching movies. Ask high school students for their preferred careers in future. Acting and singing top.
The popularity of movies and dramas can be explained by media, particularly TV; we are forever exposed to movies or dramas.
We reinforce the central place of drama and movies in the national psyche by some actions at the highest level of Government; the visit by winning schools to State House. Even the new digital Government quickly joined in with President shown laughing at Otongolo.
We are yet to see the schools that win Science Congress visiting State House. We look forward to the day the President will be shown peering with one eye closed through a microscope or a telescope. How many scientific artefacts can be found in State House? Remember all the gifts retired President Kibaki was given? Any scientific gift?
We have argued that popularisation of movies and dramas including visiting State House has made our youngsters dislike science and technology; they believe it’s more prestigious to shake your buttocks than try and design the next generation of phones after touch screen.
Is being digital not synonymous to being scientific?
The popularity of movies and drama may have encouraged UhuRuto to create more drama by giving us a partial list of Cabinet nominees. Can an MP move a motion to change the name to Cabinet Minister or anything else than Secretary? The term is not digital. Just because Americans used the term 200 years ago doesn’t mean we have to use it. Why not come up with a Swahili term?
The drama is not over; we still have two slots remaining. We are all free to believe we shall soon get a call from State House. Suggestions are flying from every corner of the country on who should fill the two slots; I think that was a smart move by UhuRuto.
My suggestion is that one of the slots should go to a Mzungu or an Asian. The other should be given out through lottery to anyone who thinks he has credentials to be in cabinet (more drama).
Nominees’ uniqueness
Why all the drama in cabinet nomination? Can we discern any hidden patterns in the new Cabinet? Statistically speaking, 16 out of 18 slots give a representative sample. I have a hunch that we shall have more than 18 ministries before the end of UhuRuto’s five-year term.
It has been suggested that the late entry of Charity Ngilu and Najib Balala complicated matters. But that was also a smart move. It has shifted our attention from other nominees. If the pair does not go through Parliament vetting, UhuRuto can argue that they did their part.
Regional and gender balance might have made UhuRuto scratch their heads. But my hunch tells me, it was the sheer number of lobbyists, powerbrokers, influence peddlers that made the selection so hard. Look carefully through the list and you will see the invisible hands behind their selection. It is unlikely that UhuRuto randomly picked these men and women; it is unlikely they knew them before. They must have been made to know them. We all would love to know who recommended the 16 and why they left me and you.
Can we start talking to them about 2017? How about doing it the Principal Secretary way, sending CVs?
So what’s unique about the new nominees? The average age is 51 years for a sample of 11 nominees. This happens to be Uhuru Kenyatta’s age. The oldest (two) is 61 years old. The youngest is 44. By Kanu standards this is relatively young group. The average age indicates they are past the mid life crisis. They are more likely to be thinking of their legacy and likely to have shed off the idealism of the youth. Most have children; nothing makes one more realistic than bringing up children.
Most are locally educated, about eight of them have spent time abroad either as students or working. What is curious is that despite our shift to the East, none of the Cabinet nominees seem to have spent much time in eastern countries, say Japan or China. There might be one with some Indian connection. Western thoughts will dominate the highest level of government thinking whether on social welfare or economic policies.
Social scientists
For the last 50 years, social scientists have held this country hostage. UhuRuto have tried to break this cycle. Hon. Ruto is the highest-ranking scientist in the government since Kenya became a British protectorate in 1895. There are at least three nominees with science or technology background.
Social Scientists from lawyers to economists predominate. Yet, one of the secrets behind the rise of China and Asian Tigers is the predominance of hard scientists at the highest levels of government. At one time all members of Chinese Politburo except one member were scientists. Science and technology teaches you to see the cause and effect, making it easier to solve problems not talk about or around them.
The controversy over a banker leading Health ministry is a non issue. Any management expert will confirm that “outsiders” do a better job than insiders particularly for firms that need re-engineering. The problem in ministry of health is not a medical problem. It’s a managerial problem from customer service to supply chain management. Want an example? It needed an “outsider” to save IBM from near death. I love the way “outsiders” have been assigned various ministries.
Hustler nominee
We would have expected a nominee who has never worked either for the government or private sector. A self made man or woman, a hustler sort of. May be instead of using lottery, we should nominate a hustler to one of the positions, preferably labour.
In silence, why did UhuRuto chose women from areas that voted against them except at the Coast? Is there any parallelism with ICC where most of those indicted are men but prosecutors and judges are female? What will psychologists say? What happened to all the big names that were floated around? Could that publicity have worked against the candidates?
Problems to solve
Will the new Cabinet deliver? They have no choice. They have the energy, our goodwill and enough problems to solve. They have an opportunity no other crop of leaders will ever have; a chance to turn Kenya into a middle income country by 2030 or before.
They have been tested elsewhere. They must now be tested against reality at the national stage, without the drama and theatrics. The reality includes the Kenyan mind set and the ever complex government, now governments.
