Embrace technocrats but politics will return to Cabinet

Since President Kenyatta presented most of his nominees for Cabinet Secretary positions, a trend has emerged where the main thrust of evaluating the nominees is whether they are politicians or “technocrats”.

The trend was set by the principals themselves.

Deputy President William Ruto promised that only the two of them would be politicians. President Kenyatta defended his selection of Mr Najib Balala and Mrs Charity Ngilu by stating that they had stopped being politicians; whatever that means.

Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo lamented the inclusion of people who were not technocrats. A Mombasa-based bishop is calling for only professionals to be approved into Cabinet.

First, a false contrast is being created between being a politician and being a professional. Second, the notion of technocrat is being bundied around vaguely as if bankers – and there are more bankers than Kalenjins in that list – represent the antithesis of politicians in a society seeking new horizons of collective application.

Most important of all, we are making an unproven assumption that the management of government is more of a technical than a political process.

Over the years I have known many professionals who have served very well as ministers. That they became ministers through elective contest does not take away from their professional competence. It is the promotion of demagogues and empty charlatans that seems to have created the unfortunate perception that politicians are the polar opposite of professionals.

Reflect carefully

In grounding the legitimacy of candidates for Cabinet positions in technical qualifications, one must reflect carefully what goals are being pursued. From one perspective it is a wonderful initiative. An efficient business-like government is a dream to hold onto.

It will hopefully reduce lethargy in government decision-making, relate activities to set goals, give the nation the boost it requires to make up for lost time in the pursuit of Vision 2030. Yet such optimism must be tempered with caution.

A new found love for the word technocrat should not disguise the complexity of governing. Being too trusting of technocrats reminds us too much of the Moi era Dream Team. All the best things were said about them and their qualifications. Yet we most remember them for dreaming.

The role of a cabinet secretary, principal secretary and technical directors at a ministry are going to be muddled for some time. The emphasis on professionals is making ministers cross the duty line to the professional officers’ work. Compound this with a minister not spending time in Parliament, and you have a cocktail of turf wars in the offing.

Already the ill-advised demands by Kenya Medical Association that the Cabinet Secretary for Health be a health practitioner are very much an offshoot of the technical government talk that has filled the air.

Ministers are political managers of technical and administrative staff. They offer guidance, priorities and protection to their officers to implement declared policies to achieve success in line with the political goals of government. Policy coherence, political consistency and deepening popular approval of government are the stock-in-trade of government.

What success?

President Kenyatta must remain clear about his primary goals. Is he striving for technical or political success? When you want purely technical success, the inefficiencies of politics are short-circuited by technical fixes. The best example I know of such an approach to government was the benevolent dictator of 1970s Pakistan, General Zia Ul Haq.

As a moderniser he was unequalled. He could cut through the frustrating burdens of politicians precisely because he ran a dictatorship. In a democracy, the nuances of collective engagement bring a different ball game. Self-maintenance demands that good acts by government are constantly reviewed in the light of their political returns.

Diverse segments of the electorate seek political signification of solidarity which does not follow the thin and narrow logic of lean efficient government.

When the honeymoon is over, President Kenyatta will find the parliamentary sell of policy and resource requisition stone-walled by opponents and supporters with dissipating loyalty. He will seek the political skills of his front men to ride out parliamentary filibusters. He will find that having a minister from a given ethnic background is not enough for the community to feel included in government.

The gravitas and social recognition of the person within their community might be more significant than the qualifications they carry. He will confirm the English saying that you campaign in poetry and govern in prose. The damn frustrating throwbacks will be mostly of a political nature.

His technocratic Cabinet will need some political house training. Balala and Ngilu could offer some of it.

Dr Mukhisa Kituyi is a director at the Kenya Institute of Governance [email protected]