It is unlikely that the Civil Service chief just woke up inspired with generosity and made a unilateral decision to pay out in excess of $6000 per month to the spouses of the Prime Minister and Vice President. An allowance in recognition of their “critical role in projecting a positive image of our nation’s family values”. Judging from the clumsy way the debacle has panned out, there can only be a little doubt that the PM and VP were privy to the attempted theft. And that is pretty exasperating for a country that is yearning for positive change in its politics.

That the justification for the expenditure was absolutely dim-witted is borne out by the public outrage that followed when the decision was publicized. Even more foolish, are the belated and self-contradictory reactions of the intended beneficiaries. Ida Odinga, the PM’s spouse declined the offer but with the begrudging remark that she could “take care of my husband” by herself in addition to shouldering “enormous responsibilities on behalf of the Republic of Kenya”. Pauline Musyoka, the VP’s spouse, accepted the allowances and thanked the Civil Service chief for the good gesture but added that the money would be channeled to various charity projects she has been supporting.

The two gracious ladies have allowed themselves to be drawn into retrogressive political games that now dent their hitherto respectable standing. Their incongruous reasons for rejecting or accepting these illegal payments are contemptuous to a generally supportive public and ought not to have been given. The citizenry is increasingly informed and the ladies’ handlers, disingenuous as they are, should advise them that foolish fibs like those will no longer suffice to cover up what is clearly theft of public funds. Of course, as is expected, there are the kindred snobs from their exclusive club who are attempting to wrap the thievery in ‘civil society’ jargon and hope that it will gain credence. One such supporter, Njoki Ndungu, a renowned reformist, thinks that the spouses deserve the allowance “lest we turn public duty into drudgery”!

Well, Ms Ndungu, I doubt if such a view point is likely to resonate with many citizens. Indeed, such positions serve to alienate a good number who selflessly serve their fellow countrymen even though I suspect that such postulates are being made more for academic discourse than any serious reformist agenda. That too is sad, because tax money shouldn’t have to be expended willy-nilly just so that all manner of theory can be explored. Certainly not with our poverty levels.

Public service, especially in the political arena, is not compulsory. Those who feel that their spouse’s service is burdensome ought to consult with their partners so as to make an early exit from such engagements rather than expect to be rewarded extraneously from tax funds. Charity, too, is not demanded of any one. Not even from rich individuals like the two ladies who, through their own efforts, have managed to succeed in their respective business endeavors. One cannot steal money then donate it to charity and hope to be excused of the crime. Sanitizing stolen funds at charity homes is akin to money laundering and is an insult to the spirit of giving. Has Madam Pauline no shame in joining this league of evil doers?

The PM and VP are already very well paid for the responsibilities which the Civil Service chief now wants to clone on to their spouses. And other than some strange increase in greed, there can be no other explanation for this thievery. All pretenses at reform in management of public affairs that the two harped about on their way up to the Grand offices have now been abandoned. Our purported reformers of yesteryear have now embraced the decadent propensity of our former ‘rulers’ to plunder public resources.

Other than being among the most highly paid legislators in the world, are they striving to be the greediest too? Shame.