Daily nation newspaper kenya8/15/2023 ![]() ![]() This article aims to fill in the gaps, adding much needed perspective to the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya, its impacts and effects on the political, security, and strategy dimensions of the country. If we exercise civic responsibility and act as our ‘brother’s keeper,’ we will have won half the battle against this pandemic.” 1 As with most, if not all, political speeches, Kenyatta’s words and sentences were filled with both truths as well as partial truths. In a measured address to the Kenyan people, he ended on a realistic note: “I must remind you that Government will do its part to protect Kenyans but the first line of defence against an invisible enemy like Covid is the people. He discussed both the political and the economic challenges that Kenya experienced and might continue to face in the future. He recounted the loss of 1,879 Kenyans due to COVID-19 and referred to the struggle with the pandemic as a “fog of war,” an enemy unseen and undefined. Opposition leader Raila Odinga's Azimio alliance on Wednesday (June 14) described the budget as "deeply flawed" and said it "prolongs and worsens the suffering of the people".Įarlier this year, the opposition staged several anti-government protests over the cost of living crisis, which degenerated into sometimes deadly street clashes between police and demonstrators.On 12 March 2021-the one-year anniversary of the first case of COVID-19 in Kenya-its President Uhuru Kenyatta spoke to the Kenyan people about the past year’s events, discussing the highs, the lows, and everything in between. One of the most contentious provisions is a 1.5 percent levy on the salaries of all tax-paying Kenyans to fund an affordable housing program. The proposed legislation calls for new or increased taxes on a wide range of basic items including fuel and food, as well as mobile money transfers, beauty products and digital content. Ruto has said that the finance bill, which sailed through a second reading in parliament on Wednesday (June 14), will ease the debt burden, stimulate the economy and create jobs in the East African nation.īut opponents have warned the new measures will further hit people already struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living crisis bites. In addition to that, its repayment costs have jumped as the shilling sinks to record lows of more than 139 to the dollar. The east African nation sits on a large public debt worth almost $70 billion, or about 67 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Kenyans are already feeling the pinch from soaring prices for basic necessities, along with a sharp drop in the value of the local currency and the worst drought in four decades.Įconomic growth slowed last year to 4.8 percent from 7.6 percent in 2021, reflecting the global fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the drought buffeting the vital agriculture sector. We have to sacrifice for the future," Treasury Minister Njuguna Ndung'u told local station Citizen TV on Thursday before he submitted the budget to parliament. "We have to have some short-term sacrifices for us to achieve the long-term. His predecessor, under whom he served as Deputy president, splurged on major infrastructure projects Ruto is seeking to replenish the government's coffers and repair a heavily-indebted economy. ![]() His government has drawn up a 3.6-trillion shilling ($25.7 billion) budget for 2023/24 with new or increased taxes outlined in a separate finance bill expected to generate $2.1 billion in revenue. It is Ruto's maiden budget since he took office at the helm of the East African powerhouse in September last year following a bitterly contested election race.Īlthough he pledged on the campaign trail to help the country's poorest citizens, he has been accused of introducing policies that have actually made their lives harder. Members of Kenyan opposition coalition Azimio la Umoja walked out of the National Assembly as Minister Njuguna Ndung'u stood up to read his budget statement. ![]()
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