The Chairperson of the Presidential Council of Economic Advisors David Ndii has rubbished the revelations tabled by Busia Senator Okiyah Omtatah regarding the Ann Njoroge oil importation saga.
The Busia Senator had in a statement claimed that there was a direct correlation between the Ksh 17 billion money Ann Njoroge had claimed to have paid for her cargo and some Ksh 17 billion withdrawn by the Treasury in June.
In his statement which also roped in two senior Cabinet Secretaries in government, Omtahtah claimed that Njoroge could not have raised the money (Ksh17 billion) and that the saga surrounding the importation was an attempt to launder it.
However, Ndii has come out to dispel the allegations- terming the claims as “nonsense”.
According to Ndii, the money withdrawn by National Treasury as alleged in the Omtatah statement was meant to pay fuel subsidy arrears left by the former regime of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
He used an excerpt of an article by the Business Daily to back his response and even went on to praise the reporting done in the article.
“The line items (withdrawals) are payments of Uhuru’s (Kenyatta) fuel subsidy arrears,” Ndii stated.
“Suffice it to say we’ve succeeded wildly in moving our political discourse from personalities/tribes to issues, content quality notwithstanding.”
However, his response and particular use of the Business Daily excerpt landed him in trouble.
Kenyans roast Ndii
A section of X users called him out for his previous remarks regarding the publication.
Also Read: Ndii Explains Kenya’s Desperate Situation, Blames Uhuru
Mwango Capital, a popular business commentator, replied to the post with a screenshot of a message where Ndii had criticized the Business Daily for the quality of reporting.
The X user also questioned why Ndii used a newspaper to respond to the allegations instead of actual government documents.
“You’re quoting a paper you, in July, called “this rag.” Shouldn’t you be citing actual government documents? Mwago posed.
Media practitioner Mutuma Mathiu also joined the band wagon, suggesting that the newspaper was doing a better job than an official in government.
“Maybe. But the Business Daily is certainly doing a better job than you. Facts,” Mathiu stated.
Silencing government critics
When a user asked why government officials, especially those in the President’s inner circle were silent on the state of Kenya’s economy, Ndii replied with a cryptic message stating, “They know there is no alternative, but lack the courage to speak.”
Also Read: Ann Njoroge Narrates Ordeal at the Hands of Abductors
Further, Ndii went on to list gaffes and actions of President Mwai Kibaki’s administration he deemed to have been low.
“I keep hearing rose tinted retrospectives of Kibaki. Maybe I was in a different country. My recollection of defining moments of Kibaki’s first term,” Ndii stated before listing the moments.
In the comments, Ndii listed moments including when two senior ministers in the government purchased Range Rovers as their vehicles and the split between Kibaki’s faction and Ralia Odinga’s faction in an apparent move to demonstrate that there is no perfect government.
