ODM’s Junet Calls Public Participation A ‘Hindrance’ To Gov’t Plans
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed has recommended eliminating public engagement as a prerequisite for the implementation of development projects.
The member stated that the constitutional requirement is impeding the completion of multibillion-dollar megaprojects that might otherwise benefit Kenyans significantly.
“The government is elected, so it works for citizens, but the government is being sanctioned because it has to ask for permission from Kenyans, civil society, Judiciary, Parliament and religious organisations. When will the government work?” he posed.
Junet was speaking on Monday in Wundanyi, Taita Taveta County, where he had joined President William Ruto on a development visit.
A large number of political leaders and state officials were also in attendance, including Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy) and Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum), Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, and other Coast MPs.
Someone should remind @JunetMohamed that his well-thought-out idea isn’t on the menu….hii ni mambo ya Katiba. Hii imeenda! pic.twitter.com/0EaZuLcNHm
— Eric Latiff (@EricLatiff) December 2, 2024
Junet stated that the recent cancellation of deals with India’s Adani Group is an excellent example of how the need for approval from the public and other constitutional authorities was impeding growth in the country.
“This thing of asking for permission from everyone must end,” the Minority Leader in the National Assembly said.
“Our airport is in a poor state; investors came from outside to help us refurbish the airport, (but) the President said if citizens don’t want it, we have to drop it.”
During his State of the Nation Address on November 21, President William Ruto ordered the cancellation of all finalized and outstanding transactions with Adani Group, citing “new information provided by our investigative agencies and partner nations.”
He dropped the bombshell a day after Indian billionaire Gautam Adani was indicted in the United States for bribery and fraud, which the tycoon dismissed as “baseless”.
Kenya had already signed a Sh96 billion agreement with Adani Group to handle Kenya Electricity Transmission Company’s (Ketraco) transmission lines for 30 years.
The state was about to sign another contract with the business to upgrade and manage Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for another 30 years.
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Both transactions were deeply unpopular among Kenyans, with the proposed airport takeover provoking a workers’ strike as pressure increased on the government to back down due to corruption fears.
“In the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take decisive action,” Ruto said in a speech that earned him a standing ovation from MPs.
However, Junet believes that public pressure is unnecessary when the same corporation is modernizing the neighboring airport.
“Those who were making noise, give us alternatives now because the airport must be upgraded. In neighbouring Tanzania, they are working with that same investor in their airport; is this to say Tanzanians are mad?” Junet posed.
ODM’s Junet Calls Public Participation A ‘Hindrance’ To Gov’t Plans
