State of the economy: Azimio MPs threaten to lead supporters to government offices for answers
Members of the Azimio One Kenya Alliance, a caucus made up of representatives from both houses of Parliament, have voiced their worries on the governance and economic conditions in Kenya, stating that they will direct their supporters to government offices to seek solutions to their issues.
The parliamentarians claimed that Kenyans are being misled and led around in circles on economic issues, and they want to look for convincing responses on their behalf.
“We want answers and if they do not come in the next few days, we will have no option but to lead our supporters into these offices for answers. We will follow these officers anywhere and everywhere for answers and not warnings,” the MPs said.
In a press conference organized by the MPs led by Minority Leader Edwin Sifuna, they discussed the current economic condition in Kenya and gave historical facts to provide context.
They asserted that the economy was only growing by 1% when the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) took office in December 2002, but that by implementing initiatives that would produce results, the coalition was able to quickly reform governance, strengthen the macroeconomic framework, and end economic stagnation. They argued that the Kenya Kwanza regime has not been able to replicate.
The Azimio MPs said that President William Ruto constantly criticized the former President Uhuru Kenyatta and that the present administration has been blaming the outgoing administration for the economy’s precarious state.
“Today, months after Kenya Kwanza came to power, day in, day out, we are bombarded how badly things were when the Kenya Kwanza regime took over. William Ruto never tires of telling us how President Uhuru Kenyatta ruined the country,” the statement by the MPs reads in part.
The MPs countered that because Ruto was the deputy president at the time, he cannot escape responsibility for the economic state of the nation.
They further emphasized that Ruto created new offices that have no influence on the advancement of the nation and boosted the Statehouse budget from KES 4 billion to KES 9 billion, purportedly for tea and Mandazi.
The MPs questioned Ruto’s current economic thinking and accused him of breaking his promise to refrain from borrowing by engaging in a borrowing binge.
“Rigathi Gachagua keeps threatening to name top officials in Uhuru Kenyatta’s government who looted the country. After campaigning on a promise that they would stop the borrowing spree, the Ruto regime is on a borrowing spree. Last Saturday, it was reported that Ruto is seeking KES 76.6 billion in loans from foreign banks. Kenya’s public debt hit KES 9.145 trillion in December against the allowed limit of KES 10 trillion, leaving President Ruto’s administration with little room to borrow,” they stated.
The Azimio MPs pledged to take part in public barazas and bring the issue up in government circles to get clarification on the state of the economy.
They underlined the need of having a well-defined plan with priority programs, identified essential activities within each program, presented budgetary estimates and finance gaps, outlined the implementation schedule, and agreed to a set of measurable goals.