David Ndii: Stop the fake debates on public debt

Political economist David Ndii now says there is need for more reflection on the growing public debt that has become a bane to the country. Sharing his views on Twitter, Dr Ndii said enough public debate has been had and people should now focus on finding solutions to the challenges. "Two weeks ago, I spoke about three self-evident truths, namely (a) we have a public debt challenge, (b) governments are wasteful and (c) our administration is shooting itself in the foot with extravagance. The amount of ink that's been spilled calls for reflection on the sham we call public debate," Dr Ndii tweeted. In an interview with Citizen Television, Dr Ndii expressed concern at the level of waste in government and the fact that no one saw the need to do anything about it. A comment that many thought would land him in trouble with his boss, President William Ruto. But to the surprise of political pundits, the Head of State, while speaking at a function, praised Dr Ndii for effectively devising the programme that allows Kenya to buy fuel on credit from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, thereby easing the frantic search for American dollars with each monthly import cycle. Political analyst Macharia Gaitho also blogged about how the outspoken economist had become a Pandora's box. Also read: David Ndii accused of wasting public funds after accompanying DP Gachagua to welcome oil ship "However, the real story now is the self-styled 'public intellectual' who has become the face and voice of the Ruto government's economic strategy. With his outspoken views, usually expressed on Twitter, he often eclipses Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u. His outspoken and unconventional views on politics, governance, economics and the Kenya Kwanza strategy are sometimes so brutal that they make key coalition figures cringe, wondering if he is undermining the government from within or signalling an imminent exit," said Macharia Gaitho. The respected academic served as an adviser to President Mwai Kibaki's much-lauded economic recovery strategy between 2002 and 2013, and then as opposition leader Raila Odinga's economic policy chief between 2013 and 2017 - is famous, or infamous, for speaking his mind without regard to political sensitivities. He is credited with conceptualising Ruto's 'bottom-up' economic policy mantra and drafting the campaign manifesto, and was widely tipped for a senior position in the Kenyan government, such as Cabinet Secretary for Finance or Principal Secretary. Also read: Ruto praises David Ndii despite social media backlash