The Mt Kenya Times 
President William Ruto
By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- This was largely attributed to the following factors: The biting drought, toxic and divisive electioneering period and Russia-Ukraine war.
- To mitigate this, his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta resorted to knee-jerk reaction measures that were not sustainable in the long run. Uhuru’s main intervention was the introduction of subsidy on essential commodities particularly Unga, fuel and electricity
- He however assured Kenyans that his government has not removed the subsidy that had been introduced by previous government to lower the cost of electricity.
- In this interview, the President spent much of his time to rollout his plan on how to address the problem of hunger and starvation.
I watched President William Ruto’s first interview since he was sworn in as the fifth President of Kenya.
He minced no word in responding to a raft of questions posed by senior members of the fourth estate drawn from various media houses.
On ballooning high cost of living, he ruled out quick fixes.
Here, one would understand where he was coming from.
First, he took over at a time when our economy was doing very badly.
This was largely attributed to the following factors: The biting drought, toxic and divisive electioneering period and Russia-Ukraine war.
To mitigate this, his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta resorted to knee-jerk reaction measures that were not sustainable in the long run. Uhuru’s main intervention was the introduction of subsidy on essential commodities particularly Unga, fuel and electricity
But upon consulting his council of economic advisers, Dr Ruto came to this conclusion. These measures were not helping our economy to grow.
He seemed to liken what was happening to a Merry-Go-Round.
Every month, the government was spending more than 26 billion to fund this programme.
The money won’t be recovered. It will go into coffers of private companies owned by a few chosen sacred cows.
Kenyans would not feel the impact and hence this would leave them poorer.
The President gave an example of Unga subsidy.
One month before 2022 General Election, the National Treasury released Sh7bn to the selected millers.
The millers were directed to sell a 2kg packet of maize flour at Sh100.
Kenyans did not see this cheap Unga and this stood out as one of the reason why they revolted against his administration.
For Dr Ruto, he did not want to repeat the same mistake.
To return the country back to the trajectory of economic growth, he reiterated the commitment of his government to continue subsdising production as opposed to consumption.
The farmers and manufacturers play an important role in this endeavor.
We have already started supplying cheap and affordable fertilizers as well as certified seeds and pesticides to our farmers.
When there is enough food, the high cost of living will naturally come down. It will however take time before the situation normalises.
The cost of electricity is very higher. I’m looking forward to tackling this problem. Give me 10 months from now.
He however assured Kenyans that his government has not removed the subsidy that had been introduced by previous government to lower the cost of electricity.
In this interview, the President spent much of his time to rollout his plan on how to address the problem of hunger and starvation.
Winning the war against food insecurity remains my priority number one.
He listed the other interventions as; the revival of 370,000 acre Galana/Kulalu Irrigation scheme, construction of 700 dams (100 in the first phase) and greening of Kenya.
On forestation and reforestation, he had already set the target of planting 15 billion tree seedlings by 2032.
Regarding the emotive issue of GMO foods, the President has this to say.
Contrary to rumors and misinformation being peddled around, I want to assure Kenyans that this food is safe. We have been eating the GMO and if you want to know this ask the Kenya Bureau of Standard (KBS).
A certain percentage of the food imported to our country is GMO. KBS will tell you one pc or so.
In South Africa and USA, the food consumed is 100pc GMO.
His parting shot. I cannot allow importation of food that would endanger the lives of Kenyans.
As you know, I’m a scientist and my position resonates with the researches conducted by other renowned scientists in our universities.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a Writer and Political Analyst based in Nairobi
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