KAIKAI KICKER: View of Cabinet through Governor Kahiga’s regional telescope

On my kicker tonight, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga offered a passionate reaction to the Cabinet changes announced by President William Ruto last night. Kahiga left little doubt on how deeply he felt about the Cabinet reshuffle.

From the outset, Governor Kahiga sees the Cabinet changes entirely through the regional lens and more aptly, what we can only call Governor Kahiga’s narrow and long Mt. Kenya telescope.

Now, for a country as diverse as Kenya, Governor Kahiga’s telescope should be found disturbing. Listing specific Cabinet Secretaries and declaring that they hold national Cabinet positions on behalf of a region or community should in the first place be found demeaning of those very Cabinet Secretaries.

Secondly, Governor Kahiga’s Constitution is a grossly misleading and altogether outdated interpretation of the role and scope of the national government. A Cabinet Secretary in charge of the National Treasury, for example, has no magic of creating a region-specific economy and Kenyans know very well that a mwananchi in Kahiga’s Nyeri County is currently facing exactly the same tough conditions a fellow Kenyan is facing in Kisii, Busia, Narok and kKwale.

Regional sons and daughters cannot deliver in their regions commodity prices that are different from those in other parts of their country. An Energy Cabinet Secretary has no way of offering cheaper prices of fuel, gas or electricity in their regions of birth. In fact, not even Governor Kahiga’s version of Cabinet – the county executive can deliver to regions what his supposed regional gatekeepers in national Cabinet cannot deliver for the entire geographic entity called Kenya.

But not to entirely fault the honourable Governor of the county of Nyeri, regional telescopes are commonplace in our politics and governance despite the fact that the primitive concept of organizing government around homeboys is a repeatedly proven failure and an exercise in ultimate futility. But regional telescopes are not just misleading; they are myopic, divisive and undermine national cohesion and unity. So to Governor Kahiga, turn that telescope around and see how big a space a national Cabinet must manage regardless their regions of birth. Turn the telescope around again, bwana Governor.