A section of Mt Kenya leaders has slammed President William Ruto’s week-long tour of the region, accusing him of launching “old projects,” as his Kenya Kwanza administration continues “to ruin the region’s economy.”
Uniting under the banner of Kamwene, the leaders led by Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, ex-Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi, Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni and former Mungiki Leader Maina Njenga claimed President Ruto largely visited projects initiated by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta and local county governments.
Addressing Journalists at Narc Kenya headquarters in Nairobi, the leaders said the escalating cost of living is a major economic onslaught on the Mt Kenya region.
“Hard working people of this region are becoming poorer by the day. The recently enacted finance act worsens the situation for more than three million micro and small businesses in the region. Banks have already issued notices of interest rate increase to their borrowers, most of whom are paying above 24 percent.”
“Prices of key crops like coffee and macadamia have dropped through the floor. Macadamia was selling for Sh120 per kilo a year ago, is now selling at only twenty shillings,” read the statement by Mr Muriithi.
The coffee auction, he said, has been closed for two months, leaving farmers desperate and stocks growing.
“The subsidised fertiliser and other inputs for coffee from the coffee cherry fund has been withdrawn and farmers have not been refunded for last year's tea fertilizer subsidy to date, forcing KTDA to recover from farmers,” he said.
Mr Muriithi also noted that the subsidy for certified seeds and potatoes, in Nyandarua, Meru, Nyeri, Nakuru Marakwet, and other counties has been withdrawn.
“All these measures are putting economic pressure on the region,” he said.
The UDA regime, the leaders said, has “responded by going to Mt Kenya on a publicity stunt, launching projects that have been built by County governments such as the Naro Moru level 4 hospital, and some that were completed more than two years ago by President Uhuru, including the Kenol-Marua Road that was practically complete.”
“The UDA regime has yet to complete any projects. Because of high costs of production, most food prices, including milk, irish potatoes, cow peas, carrots, oranges and peas are up between 5 and 14 percent from their level of just one year ago.”
“The price of onions is up 22 percent, while that of beans are up a 33 percent,” they said.
Even then, they noted, farmers who produce these foods are still worse off as they hardly make ends meet because they are faced with huge increases in the prices of all inputs.
In Laikipia and Nyandarua, Mr Muriithi noted, it is now costing Sh3,500 to plough an acre, up from Sh3,000 last year.
“The so-called subsidised fertiliser turned out to be a Russian donation now being shamelessly sold for profit, he said.
For many farmers the fertiliser was the wrong kind - NPK instead of DAP, meaning that they have to apply twice as much per acre, he said.
“But the transporters are themselves hurting. They are not making any money because diesel pump prices are up 28 percent since UDA took over, while petrol and kerosene (paraffin) are up 22.1 and 32.1 percent respectively,” Mr Munya said.
“Electricity (200 kilowatts) is up 46.6 percent, while prices for small consumers (50 kilowatts) are up 65.7 percent. With a thousand shillings you can now only get 29 tokens while last year, you could get 62 units.”
The manufacturers and traders, they said, will now have to pay 3 percent turn-over tax, and a further 3 percent housing levy, which is now backdated to July 1st, 2023.
“The Ruto regime wants to introduce discriminatory financing of high education. How and who will determine which of our citizens are "able"? This is a scheme intended to discriminate and marginalize citizens,” they added.
Mr Munya lamented that Kenya Kwanza administration which campaigned on the basis of raising the living standards of the hustlers was now hurting them.
“We will not keep quiet because our people are hurting,” Mr Munya said.
