Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi on Thursday, August 8, 2024, took a tour of his new office at the National Treasury moments after he was sworn in at State House.
Mbadi, a professional accountant assumed the office of Cabinet Secretary of Treasury following his approval by the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment after serving in the August House for 18 years.
A video seen by K24 Digital showed the former ODM party national chairman getting a feel of his new office and being welcomed by staff at the Treasury.
While Mbadi shot to national fame when he became the Gwassi MP in 2007, his career started at the University of Nairobi where he was an assistant accountant from 1996-1999.
He became a senior accountant at the University of Nairobi between 1999 and 2003 and moved to become the Finance Director at Medair- South Sudan from 2004- 2007.
The Treasury CS has extensive knowledge in public finance, accounting, budgeting, taxation and auditing among other finance-related disciplines.
He brings a wealth of experience after serving as the chair of the public accounts committee, which holds ministries and government departments to account.
Mbadi’s experience in Finance
Also, as a former national chairman of the ODM party, Mbadi was Raila Odinga’s chief consultant in matters economy, taxation and policy.
His position as as the Treasury CS is largely attributed to the efforts of Odinga and Ruto’s negotiations to bring calm to the country following widespread protests by the youth which culminated in the dissolution of the cabinet.
Mbadi was among the four nominees from the ODM party including Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives), Hassan Joho (Mining) and Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum).
The move to bring on board members of the opposition has caused some discomfort in the UDA government, with a section of leaders, stating that their communities were not well represented.
However, Ruto on Thursday said the time had come to put political rivalries aside and work to achieve a common goal.
“With the formation of this broad-based government that brings together former political rivals into one selfless, patriotic team, we will unlock the potential of our country that has long been denied to us by factional and sectarian competition. Our potential as a nation and the attainment of that potential has often been undermined by divisions arising from political competition. Where Kenya is today, while competition is healthy and good, there is a moment where the interest of a nation is greater than the interest of a political formation,” Ruto said.
