David Ndii, Chairperson of President William Ruto's Council of Economic Advisors, on Monday, April 10, painted a grim picture while responding to critics, further arguing that the government could throw in the towel - admit defeat.
The economist, via his social media pages, responded to a communication expert who advised President William Ruto's government to start by freezing all payments and benefits to those at the top if it was too broke to pay salaries.
"We should start by freezing all payments and benefits... including anyone with Honourable or His Excellency in front of their name, as well as all senior government officials. Then sit back and watch how quickly they solve the crisis," the expert suggested.
"Or throw in the towel," Ndii suggested, with his statement prompting more critics to claim that he was so straightforward with a grappling government and was putting his role in jeopardy.
Earlier, while speaking to Citizen TV anchor, Waihiga Mwaura, defended himself from claims that he was too open, arguing that he was truthful and painting the real picture of the economy.
Explaining the situation, Ndii claimed that the squandering in various government bodies was deliberate and that various independent agencies were unbothered about the situation as their actions were limited.
He alleged that the Controller of Budget, Auditor General and various investigative agencies could not reign in and stop the misuse of government resources.
However, Ndii did not reveal the amount lost due to the deliberate actions of various government officers.
"Government is extremely wasteful, there is not a single day that I am not exasperated by not just how wasteful it is but by how deliberate it is and how unbothered people are," Ndii revealed.
"They are unable to reign in (referring to independent agencies). They are totally helpless. Every government is wasteful," he added.
Ruto's economic advisor insisted that the government needed to put up systems that would stop the deliberate squandering of public funds, including strengthening the office of the Auditor General.
Ndii advocated for automated services, including procurement, to address the government's wastefulness.
On the debt issue, Ndii dismissed reports that the government was insolvent. He dispelled calls for restructuring of Kenyan debt, maintaining that Ruto's administration was able to clear pending debts.
"We are not insolvent. Our debt is actually payable," Ndii insisted.
However, Ndii assured civil servants that the government was trying to fill the hole by borrowing from the domestic market and is experiencing maturities that are bunching up, causing delays in civil servants' salaries.
Nonetheless, Treasury CS, Njuguna Ndung'u warned that civil servants may face more salary delays as the government could not access more funds due to a narrowing borrowing room.
"The national government is caught between two extremes; high level of debt financing and financing constraints due to limited access to finance in the domestic and international financial market,” Prof Ndung’u explained, concurring with Ndii, who made similar remarks on Saturday, April 8, arguing that the government could either pay salaries or loans.
