Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has defended President William Ruto’s decision to host delegations at State House.
Speaking on Thursday, December 4, he said the government had opted for State House meetings to avoid the high expenses that come with hiring conference facilities in hotels.
According to Mbadi, State House is meant to serve the interests of the public and not just the Head of State and his family.
"State House belongs to the people of Kenya and they should go there. It is cheaper to host delegations at State House as opposed to hosting them in hotels. Why should we have such a palatial building for only Presidents and their families?" he posed.
Mbadi also addressed concerns surrounding the status of intern teachers, saying the government has already outlined a clear path for their absorption.
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He noted that the Ministry of Education had communicated with the affected teachers, assuring them of a phased transition into permanent and pensionable terms after completing two years of internship.
"The Ministry of Education has communicated to the intern teachers and has told them that they have done one year, they will do another year as intern teachers, then they will be converted to PNP.
"We would want to employ as many teachers as we can because we still have a shortage and by the way, this government has employed the highest number of teachers compared to other previous administrations," he said.
Mbadi further defended the government’s economic approach, saying Kenya’s poverty challenges had accumulated over many years and required systematic correction.
He explained that the administration’s priority has been stabilising the economy to prevent a financial crisis.
"We must understand that sliding into poverty has been a journey that has taken so many years and it should have been reversed earlier.
"What the government has done is to stabilize the macros first; we have de-risked the economy in the sense that now it is evident that Kenya may not default. We have stabilized the currency; interest rates have started going down," he added.
At the same time, Mbadi highlighted the country’s limited fiscal space, noting that development projects must now rely less on taxes and more on alternative financing.
He said the government’s tax revenues are currently strained by debt obligations, limiting what can be redirected to infrastructure.
"We don’t have taxes anymore that we can spend on roads. The taxes that we collect should only now be channeled towards social services, we don’t have enough money. We are paying over 48% of our ordinary taxes on servicing our debts," he further said.
This comes three months after the government defended Ruto’s State House meetings, dismissing claims that the institution has lost its prestige by hosting groups such as traders and boda boda riders.
In a statement on Tuesday, September 16, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said those criticising the gatherings were missing the essence of how the Kenya Kwanza administration came to power.
"For those saying that State House has lost its glory for hosting many hustlers, they forget that this government wasn't formed through boardroom deals of the who is who, but by the Mama Mbogas, Boda Boda riders and small traders in the market places and through the many roadsides and town halls in those small places across the country," he stated.
Mwaura added that the symbolism within the presidency reflects the administration’s roots, pointing to Ruto's presidential standard.
"That's why the presidential standard has a wheelbarrow symbol on it hanging high up on State House. If you look keenly at the major programs by the government, most of them are to empower the very people who voted for us," he added.
