Here's how Mbadi plans to eradicate controversies around loans, projects

Treasury Cabinet Secretary nominee John Mbadi, if approved by parliament, will seek the advice of the Attorney General before signing contract loans on behalf of the government to ensure fairness in repayment terms.

Some of the contracts include the recent PPP deal with Indian firm Adani Holdings to expand the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), the secret railway 2014 loan contract with China and controversial Arror-Kimwarer scandal that saw former Treasury CS leave office and arraigned in court, a matter that has since collapsed in court.

"My stint as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee has taught me something, that the contracts that we sign, especially financial contracts, are lopsided. They are helping the lenders more than they are helping the country. Why on earth would you start paying interest on money you have not received? I don't understand it, and this is why I say if I get to the Treasury. If you approve my nomination, I will have to get the opinion of the Attorney General," he said.

He vowed that controversies and public uproar related to projects will not be heard moving forward.

"Those issues around Arror and Kimwarer and such-like projects will not happen during my tenure," he vowed.

At the same time, he defended public-private partnerships, asserting that they are essential for national development and alleviating pressure on the Treasury.

"We must give capacity to that department that deals with the PPPs at the National Treasury, not just to look at the big projects but also at the small ones to reduce pressure on the exchequer. For example, I learnt recently that the Kerio Valley Development Authority has two acres of land here at Upper Hill, and they had gotten a private investor to develop offices on that plot for the government. Their request, which was sent to the National Treasury, is gathering dust, and they gave up. We must embrace PPP across all levels," he said.

Members of the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointments following proceedings during the vetting of CS nominees on Saturday, August 3, 2024.(Photo: Parliament)

If approved, Mbadi said he will be firm in his handling of roles at the Treasury without bending the law to fulfil the demands of powerful individuals in government.

"Those who know me know my level of firmness; that does not mean I am disrespectful. You must know who your boss is and who your loyalty lies with, but loyalty does not mean that you are a yes-yes person, I have on a number of occasions disagreed with my party leader, who is my boss at the party. You wouldn't know about it out there, but Hon Junet (MP Junet Mohamed - a member of the opposition outfit and the vetting committee) would know. Although I don't talk about it. So, if I am told to do what I should not do, I will not do it if it's not provided in law because my duty number one is to protect and safeguard the constitution," he added.

Mbadi further promised to improve public communications at the Treasury and called on the bicameral parliament to, as a matter of priority, legislate public participation in the country to put an end to the embarrassment that the Finance Bill 2024 created.

"I don't want to say that there was propaganda or otherwise. The animal had become bad in the eyes of the public. Reasoning was thrown out the window, and everybody believed it should be defeated due to poor communication. For us to communicate any matter from the government effectively, I believe there should first be believability. I think trust levels have gone down; the government must rebuild that," said the nominee.

When asked why he now supports the previously rejected bill, Mbadi explained that the circumstances at the time were different.

"I had to listen to the people and follow their wishes by rejecting the bill," he said. "So, there is no inconsistency; my trust level is still where it was," he added.