You check out the Kenyan papers and find out the military has just bought a naval ship for Ksh4.1 BILLION. All good you say at the end of the day a country has to protect its borders, but then you read that the damn ship doesn’t have any guns so they have to spend another Ksh2.1 Billion fitting bloody armaments to it. Who the hell buys a warship bila guns? The same clowns who build a hydroelectric dam in a desert (can anyone say Turkwell Gorge? [pdf document-scroll down to page 28]). Jane’s Defense Weekly reckons the ship should have only cost Ksh1.8 billion maximum, with guns that is. A warship bila guns is not a warship it is a boat. And navys don’t need boats they need warships.
In other news:
Kenyan Members of Parliament have reviewed their medical cover to include treatment in reputable hospitals in Europe and America, and increased the number of dependants from one to two spouses and from four to eight children, in a scheme whose expanded scope will impose an additional burden on Kenyan taxpayers.
This is after MPs tried to give themselves a Ksh1.5 million ($19,480) winding up allowance at the end of their current term in 2007, a pat on the back for being so hard working, despite a survey by the Institute for Civic and Development Affairs showing that the Kenyan parliament worked for only 57 days in the whole of last year.
This is after the MPs gave themselves each Ksh1 million ($12,987) to put up a constituency office in each of the 210 constituencies in the country. And we all know where that money is going to end up.
This is after the government shelved any plans to develop a sensible medical cover plan that is accessible to all Kenyans. (Key word sensible i.e. not the Ngilu plan).
Pamoja Tuangamize Ukimwi
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May 3, 2005 at 1:33 pm
afromusing
It is amazing how they show us where their priorities lie. - NOT with the kenyan people.
May 3, 2005 at 6:31 pm
akiey
Not the violent type but this just makes me want to slap some DoD officials across the face!
If such a deal was brokered by some every day Mwananchi I would reluctantly understand their overlooking the crucial armaments, BUT for high-ranking military officers to make such a blunder is purely working against the security of the same nation they’re entristed with.
In my dictionary, this is not a simple mistake, neither would it qualify for a shady deal. It is treason - pure & simpe.
Am sure the deep sea fishermen from Kismayu in the northern tip to Vanga in the southern shores would do a better job patroling the coast than these good for nothing conmen in military gear.
Our founding fathers must be spinning out of control in their graves right now:(
May 3, 2005 at 7:52 pm
Wanjiru
Oh my goodness, are they nuts.?
This is the ujinga I was talking about with someone. Purchasing a capital equipment and in this case equipment that is to be used for our National defense requires analysis and evaluation and must be executed flawlessly .Who is the stupid government consultant who didn’t do cost - effective analysis before making this purchase to make sure the government expenditure is spent in a worthwhile equipment. The relevant minister and his team never , ever sit down and analyse a proposal before they even sign it. If they do not have that expertise in management consulting in the govrnement, then why don’t they hire someone from the Universityor private consultant to carry out I guess a visibilty study and at least would have illustrated the trade -offs of buying this particular ship.Gosh I’m appalled, in the NARC age (since they boost of having intelligent minister and most of them carrying a load of degrees and to think our finance minister would sign would allow spending of such monies for something like that is beyond me ) Man, this is just absurd .
May 5, 2005 at 6:18 pm
Wanjiru
p.s I meant a feasibility study:-)