Ruto Calls Meeting With MPs Amidst Change In Campaign Promises
The Head of State intends to use the meeting to reiterate his government’s plans hours after he approved and gazetted his new Cabinet.
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President William Ruto has convened a meeting with Members of Parliament at State House to deliberate on the progress of the Kenya Kwanza government legislative agenda.
The Head of State intends to use the meeting to reiterate his government’s plans hours after he approved and gazetted his new Cabinet.
Reports indicated that the meeting will also touch on house leadership roles and membership of key committees that will play a role in delivering his pledges to Kenyans, including the Ksh50 billion Hustlers Fund.
The Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group meeting was reported to have begun as early as 7.30 am and will end at 9.30 am.
The meeting will also seek to solve the standoff among the lawmakers in choosing the chair of four crucial House Committees; Administration and National Security, Energy, Blue Economy and Transport and Mining.
In addition, Ruto's 24 Cabinet nominees will be sworn in on Thursday, October 27 after the National Assembly approved the names.
They include Attorney General Justin Muturi and Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau. Ruto gazetted the names of 22 CS appointees approved by the House, including Tourism CS Peninah Malonza whose nomination was initially rejected.
The meeting is the third Parliamentary Group meeting since President Ruto ascended to power. The meeting in September in Naivasha covered the leadership positions in both the Senate and National Assembly and how the government would implement its manifesto with the key focus on strategies to lower the cost of living.
"When we say agriculture can lift our economy, we mean productivity. We have agreed that with appropriate interventions, we can increase our productivity without increasing the acreage of the land we are using.
"We have agreed on how agriculture will be used to spur our agro-processing, value addition all the way to manufacturing and job creation," Ruto stated then.
Meanwhile, reality has forced the President to review some of the Kenya Kwanza campaign promises and timelines. Earlier this week, the Head of State asked Kenyans to allow him a period of one year to bring down the cost of maize flour.
On several occasions during the campaign period, Ruto noted that addressing the high cost of maize flour, a staple food, was a simple affair and promised Kenyans immediate relief after being sworn in. Up to now, the cost of a 2kg of maize flour is over Ksh200 for some brands.
His manifesto also said the price of maize flour would decrease within the first 100 days of his administration. The maize subsidy was put under threat in August after reports indicated that it was suspended, a matter later denied by former Agriculture CS Peter Munya.
The President has also reviewed his promise that the Hustlers' fund would provide loans to entrepreneurs in Kenyans at no interest rate. However, the fund has been altered to an interest-based credit facility that will compel Kenyans to save their money with the fund.
