Leaders differ on Githae appointment

Mr Robinson Njeru Githae’s appointment to the helm at the Treasury was received with mixed feelings by members of two key House committees.

Finance, Planning and Trade Committee vice-chairman Philip Kaloki said that while he could not pinpoint the reasons for Mr Githae’s appointment, in an acting capacity, to the crucial docket, he was sure that the Ndia MP was the best choice for President Kibaki.

“Such appointments are the prerogative of the President. Mr Githae has the experience, because he is already a Cabinet minister and a former assistant minister. With that experience, he should be able to pick up quickly.

“With the help of the technical people, Mr Githae should be able to perform. He is a smart guy,” said Prof Kaloki.  

However, Mr John Mbadi, who sits on the Budget Committee, said the President had a large pool of candidates from which to pick, but he settled on Mr Githae “purely for regional considerations”.

“Is it a must that the boss at the Ministry of Finance should be from Mt Kenya (region)? Even if that is the case, is he the best that the President could get?” asked Mr Mbadi.

He felt that the chairman of the Budget Committee, Mr Elias Mbau, was one of the MPs who was ripe for such a crucial docket.

Mr Mbau is the MP for Maragua in Murang’a County, central Kenya, while Mr Githae comes from Kirinyaga County.

Computer errors

“Mr Githae is not savvy when it comes to technical, economic and financial matters. He is a lawyer. We don’t want him to come to us later and say that he was misled by the technocrats.

“You saw what happened when Mr Uhuru (Kenyatta) got in. We don’t want computer errors in the Budget,” Mr Mbadi told the Saturday Nation.

Whispers in the corridors of power say that the President, being a former Finance minister, is keen to follow what goes on at the Treasury and that is why he needs to have someone he can trust at the helm.