NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17- The National Assembly on Monday kicked off the vetting of President William Ruto’s nominees, with their net worth dwarfing the rest of the discussion overseen by Speaker Moses Wetangula.
The Chief Hustler’s first nominees to be vetted are worth more than Sh6 billion, cumulatively.
This did not go unnoticed as Kenyans on Twitter quickly picked a discussion, on just how politics in Kenya are lucrative.
All the nominees vetted on Monday were politicians, including a former Governor.
First to be vetted was longtime politician and now Prime Cabinet Secretary nominee Musalia Mudavadi- who is worth Sh4 billion.
Mudavadi hails from a political family, and has once served as a Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, among other senior public positions.
“If I take my investments in shares in various companies and also the properties I own I would put my net worth at about Sh4 billion,” he said.
“This income emanates from dividends, rental income, interest and other expenses that come from the farm.”
Mudavadi’s vetting was followed by Former speaker Justin Muturi (Attorney General), Garissa Township MP Aden Duale (Defense), former Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua (Foreign and Diaspora Affairs) and Kandara lawmaker Alice Muthoni (Water, Sanitation and Irrigation).
Muturi said he is worth Sh700 million, an increase of Sh400 million from 2017- when he put his net worth at Sh300 million.
“I have been a very modest public servant but my network is currently estimated at just about Sh700 million,” he stated.
“Currently I gain income for my proceeds as a farmer and through consultancies, I get from time to time which I get occasionally,” said Muturi who has served as Speaker of the National Assembly.
If approved, he will be the 8th Attorney General(AG) in the country taking the mantle from the current AG Paul Kihara Kariuki.
He will become the principal legal adviser to the President if approved.
Then came Duale who said he is worth Sh851 million.
“This is including the assets that I own which include the sheep, and camels. I had to go and value my 231 camels somewhere in Kitui County which brings the total to Sh851 million,” he stated.
From his assets, the longtime Garrisa Township MP said he receives Sh10 Million annually.
Foreign CS nominee, who also served as a 2-term Governor for Machakos County said he is worth Sh420 million.
“I am approximately worth Sh420mn as I have businesses which include hotels, rentals and few businesses here and there,” he stated.
Legislators however doubted the figure saying he was worth more than that.
“I was worth over Sh200 million before I became governor as I had already invested and my investments were able to grow. What I presented were assets in terms of land that I acquired from the money I acquired from the Middle East,” Mutua explained.
“Within the next ten years by God’s blessings, I hope to double my income through the business that are there thriving.”
Mutua has also served the country as a Government spokesperson for 10 years.
The Water CS Nominee said she is worth Sh218 million.
“My first job was as a state counsel at the office of the Attorney General, where I practiced for about 2 years. I later joined Makhecha & Co and thereafter set up A M Wahome & Co Advocates,” she explained.
“I have worked like any other village girl, I know how to milk, how to cut grass, I have cooked for my brothers as was expected even though some of them were older than me; I didn’t understand why but I did those jobs.”
More nominees are set to be vetted on Tuesday.
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