The National Treasury Cabinet Secretary, Ukur Yatani, on Sunday, December 26, revealed how his appointment has put the Northern part of Kenya on the map.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV, Yatani stated that his office has put him in a position of influence to negotiate for the growth and development of the region.
The CS noted that since he assumed the role of the National Treasury boss, the Northern region of Kenya is now able to sit at the national decision making table after years of being sidelined.
"At the height of independence, the decision making processes were not highly reflective of the entire country because the representation was quite low," Yatani noted.
Now sitting at the helm of the National Treasury, the CS states that he has direct audience with President Uhuru Kenyatta which he uses to front development ideas for the region.
Moreover, the Treasury boss noted he has since been able to champion for peace and cohesion within communities living in Northern Kenya and addressing the shifta attacks, which according to him, also made it difficult for development projects to be commissioned.
Yatani revealed that he has brought together elected leaders from the region as well as professionals, with whom he has held candid conversations on policies that best fit the community.
He noted that they concluded to have a united voice that would unite the people and rally them around ideas rather than personalities and interests of individuals.
"We deserve to be on the table where political decisions are being made, where resource decisions are being made, where decisions about this country are being made and our political voice is called Upya," he remarked.
"Our politics has been based on clans, ethnic groups, conflicts and things that are not really useful to our own people. We want to transcend clan, community, region, and have one political voice that is going to wok with the people and make a difference," he added.
Yatani expressed gratitude to President Uhuru Kenyatta for appointing him to head one of the ministries at the centre of decision making processes in the country, despite coming from a marginalised community.
"Treasury has been restricted to a number of considerations. Political numbers sometimes count but my appointment to this position is on the sole discretion to the President," he echoed.
He affirmed his loyalty to the Head of State, assuring that his legacy will be completed. The Treasury CS, however, declined to comment on whether or not he would be contesting for any political seat in the August 9, 2022, General Election.
