Mbui slams Ruto’s hiring of advisors as wasteful and politically driven
Kathiani MP Robert Mbui has strongly criticised President William Ruto’s continued appointment of State House advisors, describing the practice as wasteful, politically motivated, and disrespectful to the memory of young Kenyans who lost their lives protesting against government excesses.
Speaking on a local media station on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, Mbui characterised the growing number of presidential advisors as adding zero economic value to the public while increasing the cost of government operations.
“The cost of government has to at all times be as minimal as possible. The more employees you put there, the more advisors, then of course the higher the cost,” Mbui stated.
“Really, at the end of the day, I would say that it’s like we’re even dancing on the graves of our Gen Z,” he added.
The legislator referred to the youth-led protests of June 2024, where demonstrators voiced concerns about the escalating government expenditure, including the influx of advisors.
“I’m saying this because so many young Kenyans were killed when they were protesting about similar things. In fact, this was one of the things that they talked about. They said you cannot have advisors for everything,” he emphasised.
Rewarding allies
Mbui questioned the added value of these advisors, suggesting that their appointments are politically motivated moves intended to reward allies rather than to improve government efficiency.
“In my opinion, I think it’s zero value, economically zero value to the public. It’s just political expedience. It’s a matter of just rewarding cronies and friends. Because if you look at the people that are being given these positions, I don’t think there’s anything that they’re bringing to the table,” he asserted.
He cited the reappointment of former Trade CS Moses Kuria as a presidential advisor after being dismissed from Cabinet as an example of the recycling of political figures in roles with unclear responsibilities.
“How do you take a person who was a CS, like Moses Kuria? You dismiss them from the office of the cabinet minister, and then you tell him to come and sit with you and advise you on the very same things you were supposed to be doing when you were a minister. I think this is a tragedy,” he remarked.
Confusion around policy making
The MP further argued that the proliferation of advisors has created confusion in policy formulation and implementation, citing statements from the former Treasury Cabinet Secretary who had complained about interference from State House advisors.
“When the former Treasury CS was leaving office, he said that one of the problems he was having was that there were so many advisors in State House. So they were creating confusion,” Mbui recalled.
“Policy, instead of being brought to the cabinet so that it’s discussed by the president and his cabinet, which is recognised in our constitution, policy issues would come from State House,” he stated.
According to Mbui, this approach has led to scenarios where even senior Treasury officials struggled to explain government policies, such as during the presentation of the 2024 finance bill, because the policies originated from outside their ministry.
“I remember the PS was at pains to explain it because it wasn’t from the office. The president is running the government, all of it from State House and ignoring the cabinet, which is supposed to be the one that helps him to carry out his job,” he noted.
He urged Ruto to resolve the issue, saying the growing advisory circle was not only inefficient but would also increase the cost of governance, a burden that would ultimately fall on ordinary Kenyans.
“I think the cost of doing, you know, government is going to go up, and, you know, who is at the bottom of this whole pyramid? It’s the common man who has to bear the burden of these extra people,” he remarked.
