Here is the full interview. Sophia Wanuna takes on Dr David Ndii.
Top Statehopuse operatives who are agonizing on how to get Raila Odinga drop his swearing plans and accept to work with Uhuru have hightened activities as year comes to close. They have moved around targeting key NASA strategists from Musalia Mudavadi, Miguna Miguna to David Ndii, Johnstone Muthama among others but all have refused.
Now, here are the excerpts of the interview (more of a cross examination) that was meant to woo David Ndii into government BUT backfired badly.
SOPHIA WANUNA: If President Kenyatta, in forming his new government, decides: here is my biggest critic, he knows all the bad things with the Kenyan economy, how about I get him into my government to fix those problems. Would you take such a job?
DAVID NDII: No (shakes head)
SOPHIA WANUNA: Why?
DAVID NDII: One, you work for people you respect.
SOPHIA WANUNA: … you respect the Kenyan people. Are you working for the man or the country?
DAVID NDII: You would have to work with them every day. And I don’t respect them. I think (it would) be dishonest. I would have to pretend and call them sir which I don’t mean. And I am a principled person.
SOPHIA WANUNA: So you stand to critique (sic) but not do anything about it? Can you do something about it?
DAVID NDII: There is a presumption in Kenya that only in government can you make a contribution to society. That what I am doing is not important…
SOPHIA WANUNA: But he’d be acknowledging that what you have been doing in critiquing is so important that he wants you to transition to put that into action
DAVID NDII: I don’t think he is qualified to chart my course about how I contribute to my country. Uhuru is not my peer professionally, intellectually… anywhere.
SOPHIA WANUNA: But you choose to look at it to the person Uhuru that (sic) you say you do not respect but what about the Kenyan people
DAVID NDII: I am making the following point. I consider fighting to restore democracy in Kenya fundamentally more important in the long term, than trying to rescue people from their own mess which I have pointed out for many years. And everybody is coming around to my view… Even they have approached me occasionally to say ‘okay, we now acknowledge that you say the economy is on the wrong track, what is the right track?’ And I have told them, “Listen, democracy works as follows: you play, you pay. I am on the other side, I am the leader of the NASA policy team. If you read the manifesto which I led the team to produce, it has stated how we ourselves would go about dealing with those challenges. What I will not do is undermine democracy…
SOPHIA WANUNA: Would you work with government at an advisory capacity to help the country?
DAVID NDII: Been there done that.
SOPHIA WANUNA: Would you do it now?
DAVID NDII: No! I have done it before many times. I worked very hard on the economic recovery strategy…
SOPHIA WANUNA: So you intend to continue throwing stones as some people would put it?
DAVID NDII: Yes! Absolutely. That role is very important. The roles which are being suggested are more lucrative. It is the easier path. And I don’t need anything. I don’t need any more money, I don’t need another home, I don’t actually need anything material from government. So, I will continue doing what I believe in.
SOPHIA WANUNA: Okay.
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