In the run-up to the August 9, election, the then UDA candidate William Ruto promised to lower the cost of living in his first 100 days in office.
While launching the Kenya Kwanza manifesto on Thursday, June 30, Ruto said he would prioritize investments in Agriculture to locally increase food production and wean the country off expensive food imports if he won the presidential elections.
However, since he was sworn in on September 13, the cost of living has instead reached rooftops with no clear view of when this will come down.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of Soweto East Zone B Social Housing in Kibera, Nairobi County, the Head of State pleaded for more time to tame the current inflation.
Ruto who appeared to make an about-turn from his earlier presidential election campaign promises said he was aware of the plight of Kenyans but asked for one more year to arrest the rising cost of basic goods.
The president once again blamed Rtd President Uhuru Kenyatta’s handshake with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for the current high cost of living.
“I know the cost of living is high. You know the price went up because of the mess created by the ‘handshake’ regime in the last four years. Nitanyorosha hiyo mambo kwa mwaka mmoja,” the president said.
The First in Command said the Kenya Kwanza government has already laid the groundbreaking on which it will lower the cost of living.
“We have already started the process of lowering Unga prices by giving farmers 1.4 million bags of subsidized fertilizer,” President Ruto said.
Ruto has been on record ruling out subsidizing Unga prices saying he will only approve subsidizing production.
