IMF will not save us from our economic mismanagement

Ken Opalo, Political Scientist.

“I am signing because our government will steal everything.” That was the comment by one petitioner on Change.Org in an attempt to convince the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deny Kenya a 251b shilling extended credit facility. As of Friday morning, more than 230,000 had signed the petition. While the petition will not amount to much, this particular petition is a powerful indictment of the Government's dismal finance record. 

So what next? It all depends on whether Parliament is willing to stand up to State House. However, before interrogating Parliament’s role it is important to reiterate the nature of the problem. For eight years, the Government borrowed a lot of money which was either stolen or invested in over-priced infrastructure.