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Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition has opposed the creation of Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) positions.

In a statement on Wednesday, National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi said the position is meant to reward President William Ruto’s “friends” who were not elected in last year’s general election.

“After appointing a horde of Cabinet Secretaries and a host of Principal Secretaries through creation of departments and agencies to accommodate friends and failed associates including political rejects, Kenya Kwanza is determined to add another layer of bureaucracy,” Opiyo said.

He further stated that the CAS positions are currently unnecessary due to hard economic times.

“Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party is alarmed that despite the prevailing difficult economic times that require a rethink and re-organization of government spending priorities, the Kenya Kwanza regime is proceeding with its plans to recruit tens of Cabinet Assistant Secretaries and expansion of the Executive.

“Indeed we are dismayed that William Ruto who campaigned against the BBI on grounds that it was meant to create positions is now busy creating positions that will add no value whatsoever to service delivery and steering the country in the right direction. We reject this total waste of resources, time and misuse of the Public Service Commission,” he stated.

Azimio on public resources

He said public resources will be used to set up offices, pay staff, per diems and salaries for those who be appointed as CASs.

“The new layer of bureaucracy will come with another set of offices, staff, per diems, salaries, and equipment including fuel guzzlers that will consume another set of billions of money from over-taxed and suffering Kenyans with no tangible returns.

“As a party, we remain opposed to efforts to expand the executive further and create an excessive bureaucracy that will add no value to the lives of our people,” he said.

Opiyo added: Indeed, we are concerned that the government has grown too large, too bureaucratic, too wasteful, too unresponsive, and too uncaring about people and their problems.

“At this moment in our history as a country, we feel every available shilling should be directed at lowering the cost of basic goods like unga, electricity, and fuel, financing the basic education of our children, providing water and hay to drought-stricken communities, saving our collapsing public universities, and addressing the problem of insecurity.”