By Billy Mijungu
The time has come for Kenya to abandon the culture of luxury and embrace a disciplined, people-centered approach to public service.
We can no longer allow Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries to soar above us in privately hired helicopters at the expense of a struggling nation.
Unless it is the President on urgent national duty, no public officer should be travelling in helicopters funded by taxpayers.
Let us normalize flying commercial. Kenya Airways and other airlines are efficient and reliable, and they represent the very standard we must support.
The government should put in place standing travel agreements with national carriers, ensuring that Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries have seats reserved when needed.
This is a simple responsibility the Transport Ministry can coordinate with ease, saving the country billions annually.
Public service is not a luxury.
Meetings are planned well in advance.
Diaries are organized with precision.
There is no justification for last-minute helicopter charters disguised as urgent engagements.
These rides, often taken by people who would never afford them privately, are draining public resources that should be channeled toward national priorities.
It is a shame that at a time when Kenya is struggling to finance free basic education, we are watching public officials rise into the skies for routine duties.
This is a betrayal of our values, and a mockery of the struggles parents and learners face across the country.
Education remains one of the most effective tools against poverty, yet we are choosing opulence over opportunity.
We must demand a full and transparent audit of government helicopter travel. How much do these chopper rides cost the public each year.
How many classrooms could be built with that money.
How many teachers employed.
How many children supported through bursaries and school feeding programmes.
These are the hard questions that must be answered.
This obsession with helicopters has become a dangerous symbol of political ambition.
Many leaders today are driven by a desire to own flying machines rather than serve the people.
This fuels corruption.
It leads to inflated tenders, misappropriated funds and public money being siphoned off to fund private prestige.
The costs are high and the consequences far-reaching.
Kenya is in a debt crisis.
We are overtaxed.
We are stretched thin.
The youth are unemployed.
Small businesses are struggling.
What we need is a national culture of austerity.
We must cut unnecessary spending.
We must stop the greed that parades as leadership.
We must invest in the future by focusing on education, healthcare, jobs and national development.
The Treasury Cabinet Secretary must take immediate action.
Mobilize departments to reduce travel costs.
Ground the unnecessary flights.
Champion structured, efficient and affordable travel for all government officers.
Leadership is not about flying high while citizens suffer below.
It is about making choices that reflect compassion, responsibility and national interest.
The next election must be a referendum on waste.
It must be about leaders who understand the weight of public trust.
We must ask them to choose between chopper rides and classrooms, between luxury and learning.
Kenya has the potential to rise, but not on the back of helicopters.
It will rise when we lift its children through education.
