Kindiki: Ruto government to review 2022 economic charters to address county concerns
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki (right) meets Taita Taveta leaders led by Governor Andrew Mwadime at his official Residence in Karen on January 23, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Prof Kindiki said the government is aware of issues affecting people at the grassroots and Kenyans should expect the government to address them in the next few years.
- Speaking during a meeting with a Taita Taveta County delegation at his official Karen residence on Thursday, the DP emphasised the importance of unity and collaboration in achieving national development goals, promising that the government will fulfill all key issues identified in a series of meetings with the leaders.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has reiterated the government’s commitment to addressing the critical issues in the counties as he promised a review of the 2022 elections' economic charters that the Kenya Kwanza government signed with the devolved units.
Prof Kindiki said the government is aware of issues affecting people at the grassroots and Kenyans should expect the government to address them in the next few years.
Speaking during a meeting with a Taita Taveta County delegation at his official Karen residence on Thursday, the DP emphasised the importance of unity and collaboration in achieving national development goals, promising that the government will fulfill all key issues identified in a series of meetings with the leaders.
He identified revenue sharing from Tsavo National Park, human-wildlife conflict, land disputes, and equitable sharing of income from local mineral resources as key issues which the government will prioritise in the next few months.
Prof Kindiki also urged local leaders to rally behind the broad-based government agenda, saying the Kenya Kwanza government has started reviewing its manifesto to fill the gap that it missed in the past two years.
“This is a broad-based government. We are now one team—Team Kenya. Let us all support the broad-based agenda. Issues on sharing of revenue from Tsavo National Park, human-wildlife conflict, land issues, and sharing of income from local mineral resources, all these issues are captured in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto which we are implementing,” said Prof Kindiki.
The DP said the government will oversee the full implementation of the economic charters signed with counties in Kenya and various regions, which President Ruto said was a deal between him and his campaign—and eventually, his government after the 2022 elections—that set out the different economic priorities for the units.
“We are now doing performance reviews of the economic charters to update ourselves on where we are and what needs to be done to hasten delivery of the county agenda. This is why we are meeting here today. We will also hold similar follow-up meetings for other counties."
On the current economic challenge, he said the Kenya Kwanza administration was found when it came into office, taking over from former President Uhuru Kenyatta but blamed the Covid-19 pandemic.
“President William Ruto has spent the last two years working on the foundation of a stronger economy. When he assumed office we had very serious economic foundational challenges and many people mistake when we say so and think we are blaming the previous administration. That is not true,” said Prof Kindiki.
During the meeting, which was attended by various political leaders and opinion shapers from Taita-Taveta County led by Governor Andrew Mwadime, he explained that at the time Mr Kenyatta was leaving office, most resources had been channelled towards saving the lives of Kenyans.
“At the point when President Uhuru was leaving, we had just come out of one of the biggest pandemics in the history of mankind called Covid-19,” he stated.
He went on: “For a whole one and a half years, the economy was shut down, nobody was working, people were staying at home, there was no productivity and all the resources of the country were diverted to save our lives.
Because of Covid and other global issues, he said, President Ruto took over high inflation, weak currency, high interest rates, “and all foundational problems we have been dealing with in the last two years.”
President Ruto has been warming up to Mr Kenyatta since former DP Rigathi Gachagua was impeached.
During campaigns for the 2022 General Election and soon after assuming office, the Kenya Kwanza brigade blamed the former regime for running down the economy.
Mr Gachagua, in particular, would often reiterate how they found “empty coffers” after assuming power.
