Nkaissery and Rotich disagree over budget cuts, police housing project

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery

Wrangles have erupted in Jubilee government with a Cabinet Secretary fighting his colleagues over budget cuts and implementation of mega projects. The Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery is banking on MPs' support to win the war against Henry Rotich (National Treasury) and Jacob Kaimenyi (Housing).

The crux of the war is that Mr Rotich did not fully comply with Maj Gen (Rtd) Nkaissery’s request for Sh21 billion in extra funds. The other sticky point is that The Treasury CS has refused to allow the bosses at Interior Ministry to supervise the multi-billion shilling tender to build houses for police.

Rotich argues that if he lets the Interior ministry officials to oversee the construction of the police houses, they will be distracted from their core mandate of providing security. He wants the Housing and Urban Development docket to handle all housing projects

With the supplementary budget set for approval next week, Nkaissery has already met the National Assembly’s Committee on Administration and National Security and told them about his predicament with his Cabinet colleagues.

He appears to get along well with the MPs, and particularly members of the committee, which he served in until a year ago when he was appointed to the Cabinet. MPs make budgets, they can change the National Treasury’s proposals, their word is final.

So when he met the House committee, Rotich said the role of national government is to divide roles among the ministries in a way that every ministry sticks to its mandate. “The National Treasury Cabinet Secretary told us that giving you extra duties will make you deviate from your core mandate... he was just saying that provision of security is a lot of work,” said committee chairman Asman Kamama (Tiaty) quoting Rotich.

But Nkaissery feels that Rotich and his Principal Secretary Kamau Thugge “do not understand national security”.

He is upset that Rotich rejected a Sh12 billion request for additional funding, including Sh1.1 billion to equip a forensic lab, Sh1.5 billion for new contracts for identity cards, Sh200 million for security roads and airstrips. Nkaissery had also requested Sh300 million for domestic travel of police, but the Treasury cut it to Sh100 million.