Ruto recruits ex-Kibaki team to draft economic strategy
From left: David Ndii, Prof Njuguna Ndung’u, Prof Larry Gumbe and Prof Raphael Munavu
Deputy President William Ruto has reached out to some of the top brains who helped former President Mwai Kibaki plan and run the economy during his rule, a period which is widely recognised as Kenya’s best economic run.
The list of economists who the DP has tasked with drafting the “Hustler Economic strategy,” aimed at curing Kenya’s economic ruin from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s “mess” also include top brains who worked with ODM leader Raila Odinga and a few top faces in the business world.
“It’s a team of leading economic brains drawn from diverse fields of the economy,” Dyer and Blair’s former joint managing director Mohammed Hassan and Chairman of Kenya National Trading Corporation, said.
NASA manifesto
The team will be led by former CBK Governor Njuguna Ndung’u and Dr David Ndii, the brains behind the 2017 NASA coalition manifesto.
Other members of the team being brought on board include Dr Jason Kapkirwok, Prof Larry Gumbe and Prof Raphael Munavu.
"DP Ruto has reached out to me and Prof Ndung'u to assemble a team of leading brains especially in the economic field. I am always ready to assist on the same. The experts will be from various fields," Mr Ndii told the Nation yesterday.
During his eight-year reign as CBK Governor, Prof Ndung’u’s tenure saw the rapid rise of Kenya in the financial inclusion space with global recognition especially through M-Pesa.
It is also during his tenure that CBK allowed more technological experiments within the banking sector.
Dr Kapkirwok, who is an acclaimed author, was the Trademark East Africa regional office head and was involved in Kenya Ports Authority expansion. He is formerly the strategy manager at Heifer International Global, US and former director in-charge of strategy and planning at Kenya Airways.
Munavu, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Nairobi, is the Chair of Kenya National Academy of Sciences, was the first chancellor of Laikipia University, served as a former Moi University VC and was among the first commissioners at the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA).
Economic model
Mr Gumbe, who was ODM’s national chief agent in the 2013 General Election, is a former Centre for Multiparty Democracy chairperson. He currently serves as a professor of bio-systems and environment engineering at Technical University of Kenya.
The team will closely work with the African Economic Research Consortium, the giant research body where Prof Ndung’u serves as the Executive Director.
On Thursday, Dr Ruto held talks with the former CBK governor. After the meeting, Dr Ruto said that Prof Ndung’u pledged to help develop a new economic model.
“The state of the global economy demands new thinking, bold ideas and fresh paradigms. We must include more Kenyans in the growth of our country. This is why we are proposing a bottom-up approach to develop the economy,” Dr Ruto tweeted.
Yesterday, DP Ruto also unveiled a plan to include creative artists in the entertainment and film sector into his economic think-tank.
Ruto, who hosted a group of top musicians, comedians and producers at his residence told them that he would incorporate one of them in his top advisory team.
Ms Nadia Mukami, who is a musician and a finance graduate, will lead a creative working group to identify who will represent the team as a champion of the creative economy.
