During an interview with Al Jazeera on February 19, President William Ruto defended his government’s inability to initiate development projects six months after taking office.
He stated that the drought situation in the country compelled the government to divert funds to mitigate its effects.
Ruto revealed that the government has spent an average of Ksh5 billion every month to mitigate the impacts of the drought. The funds were used to support water tracking, accessing food for livestock, and feeding people.
The President further stated that the government is re-routing and reorganizing its budget to combat the drought’s effects further.
The reallocation of resources meant for development, including schools and hospitals, will now be used to support people and livestock.
Ruto warned that there will be a failed rainy season this year and that the government had already spent almost Ksh30 billion on drought relief efforts.
According to Ruto, the government has been spending an average of Ksh166 million every day to counter the effects of drought.
The President lamented the high cost of development loans in international financial systems, which he argued disproportionately affected African countries like Kenya.
He stressed that Kenya and most African countries pay around 10 percent for loans, while their counterparts in the global north pay between 0.05 to 0.1 percent.
Ruto called for international monetary institutions to review their rates, ensuring that African countries could enjoy lower loan rates like other sovereign states. He said that “those who pollute get development finance cheaper than those who do not.”
President Ruto also clarified why Kenya was the only East African Community (EAC) country that deployed military troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He explained that all countries were required to deploy troops guided by a matrix and cause of action agreed upon by EAC presidents.
