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Government ministers in Kenya are being ordered to turn in their Mercedes for more efficient Volkswagons. The BBC’s Jonah Fisher tells anchor Katy Clark that so far, the idea hasn’t gained much traction.
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KATY CLARK: We go from a small island to big cars and the status they convey. That’s true just about everywhere including the East African nation of Kenya where government officials are known for driving large luxury models. But Kenya’s trying to crack down on that. The government recently ordered officials to turn in their Mercedes for smaller more fuel efficient cars. But so far it’s not going over too well. The BBC’s Jonah Fisher is Nairobi. And Jonah I understand a deadline passed today in Kenya for government ministers to turn in their Mercedes. What were these officials supposed to get in return and what happened?
JONAH FISHER: That’s right Wednesday was the deadline for the government ministers here and their officials to hand over their gas guzzlers, their big cars, in return for smaller versions. But this had been a policy that had been announced in June by the finance minister to try and combat the widely here that the government and the ministers are wasting money. And so that he brought in this rule that all government cars have to have engines of less than 1800 cc. And the critical thing about that was that it ruled out the Mercedes cars which most government ministers here drive. And in replacement 130 Volkswagen Passats were ordered – much smaller engines. They are waiting in Nairobi for the large cars to be returned and traded in. This evening I think a local TV station was reporting that 14 cars had been handed over and traded in. So obviously lots of resistance from those government officials to doing this trade down.
CLARK: So culturally what does a Mercedes say about its owner in East Africa?
FISHER: Well it’s a good question. I suppose to many people here, I mean it’s not just new Mercedes that people drive as a symbol that they’ve made it. Old Mercedes are still widely driven here both in Kenya or in Ethiopia they do carry a certain penash. And I think many ministers here regard it as being one of the perks of the job which they get which symbolizes that they’ve made it. The real problem here in Kenya though is that government has grown to such a size. There are currently over 90 ministers and assistant ministers in this huge coalition government which is in place here. They have to put so many ministers in to keep everyone happy, if you like, that the cost of keeping everyone in cars, keeping all the officials happy has really become quite [INDISCERNIBLE] in the context of a country which is still for most of its people are quite a poor country.
CLARK: Sounds like the roads are pretty clogged with the Mercedes Benzes.
FISHER: Well yeah there are lots of nice cars here and in Nairobi in particular the traffic is quite frankly appalling. So one can see what the finance minister is trying to do. It’s been interesting though to see just how much a resistance he’s been encountering from ministers. A few of them were quoted in the newspapers today. One of them saying that 1800 cc and under cars were just for teenagers. Another one, a roads minister, quoted saying that with a small car he just wouldn’t be able to get out and do his job. That he wouldn’t be able to go into the countryside to monitor the roads here in Kenya. So it’s not gone down well. And of course the next step will be for the government here to decide how are they going to force those ministers who aren’t happy about it, who don’t want to change, to hand the Mercedes in and to be happy and willing to drive around in Volkswagen Passat.
CLARK: Well Jonah lastly I’m wondering how Kenyans would react if one of their ministers began biking to work?
FISHER: In absolute disbelief. I think people here in Kenya genuinely have a pretty low opinion of their politicians. They’ve seen them squabble. They’ve seen this coalition which has been in place really struggle to work and I think many Kenyans just see their politicians out for everything they can get out of government. They might be amazed because there are so many potholes here in the roads that they’d probably be lucky to get to work and back in one piece. They’d also be lucky not to be run over by one of the minibuses which carry people around. So yes it would be shocking for most people.
CLARK: The BBC’s Jonah Fisher in Nairobi. Thank you so much.
FISHER: Thank you.
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