By Gordon Opiyo
I hear some fellows say that President Uhuru does not care about the common Mwananchi. Listen to this story about suppliers to the Prisons Department.
They were treated pretty much the same as we TV stations were treated.
Some arrogant PS and CS declared that those demanding payments were crooks and criminals. Audit after audit was done and the matter took years.
As with Government supplies, the well connected companies are paid immediately. Those belonging to kawaida businesses are pushed aside and paid last, or dumped to pending Bills.
So, the helpless suplliers reached out to the President through various means. They also held Demos all over.
President Uhuru sent his team to independently verify the claims of the suppliers… And after he realized that they were genuine, he placed the matter in a Full Cabinet Meeting. So, on 19th March, the Full cabinet meeting resolved to pay
those suppliers previously called crooks and criminals.
Yes, some CSs and PSs are extremely arrogant, but as the case of the Prisons Department showed, if you know your claim is genuine, and reach out to him, you will be sorted. He would not have wasted time listening to people who supplied 100 bags of beans and 200 bags of rice….. But he took his time to listen to them, and ordered the CS and PS that was calling the poor traders “crooks and criminals” to pay.
So, you guys that are owed money, never give up. Never lift your hands in surrender and say “Serikali haita Lipa”. The small traders joined hands and reached out to the President, and he acted. However powerful that CS or PS feels, never feel intimidated. Just organize yourselves and present your case.
Do not buy that lie that President Uhuru doesn’t care. If the Small scale suppliers to the Prisons Department got paid… And even had a slot in the Full cabinet meeting …. What is too hard?
