NARC-Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua has joined the list of politicians criticizing President William Ruto over the challenges faced in the running of the government at the national and devolved levels.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, September 17, Karua said the national government led by Ruto is deliberately undermining the running of counties by starving them of finances.
“Devolution was our collective pledge to ensure that no voice will go unheard, and no community would be overlooked yet today it is threatened by those who seek to centralize power and silence those at the periphery,” she said.
“The Kenya Kwanza government has systematically eroded this foundation. The controller of budget recent report depicts the betrayal of devolution. Only 52.3% of allocated county funds have been disbursed. Our counties are starved, their services crippled.”
Karua went on to note that the cash crunch experienced in the counties is affecting service delivery to Kenyans in the devolved units, stating, “In Kakamega, the county referral hospital shelves lie barren, depriving our people essential medicine for months on end. This is an example of the health crisis in the counties.”
She also called out Ruto’s administration for failing to deliver his promises to counties.
“The pledge by the Kenya Kwanza government to increase funding to counties has been discarded leading to the current stalemate between county and national government over Ksh 20 billion. This regime finds it easier to defund counties affecting services to over 54 million Kenyans rather than reduce the spending by the ruling elite. This is not mere negligence. It is calculated subversion of our constitution right,” she explained.
Furthermore, Karua highlighted the extent of corruption in the country, blaming it for poor services and low development.
“The corruption is a venom that crosses through the veins of our society poisoning every institution it touches,” Karua added.
“The auditor general estimates that a third of the budget approximately which is close to 1 trillion is lost annually. This is not merely a statistic; it is the stolen dream of millions. The unbuilt schools, the unstocked hospitals, the unpaved roads, the education of our children, and much more.”
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Challenges Facing Ruto’s Government
Ruto’s administration continues to face various challenges as it works to implement a wide range of policies.
The most recent controversies include the proposal to lease Kenyan airports to the Adani Group. The proposal led to outrage among the public and aviation workers went on strike on September 10, 2024, before agreeing to go back to work at the end of the day on condition that their demands would be met.
The government has also had challenges with the new university funding model that saw some needy students miss out on financial government support. On September 16, 2024, Ruto announced the formation of a team with 129 members to review the shortcomings of the new university funding model.
In a gazette notice, Ruto said, “I order and direct that the National Working Committee on Review of the New University Education Funding Model is hereby established.”
The team will have four subcommittees created to manage various challenges facing the new funding model, including a committee that focuses on appeals regarding the categorization of students into various eligibility bands for allocation of scholarships and loans.
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Ruto’s administration has also had to deal with Inspector of Police Gilbert Masengeli‘s contempt of court case that saw him sentenced to six months in jail.
On September 13, 2024, Justice Lawrence Mugambi ruled that, ” Masengeli is guilty of contempt, and the court must impose an appropriate punishment.”
In the wake of the ruling that caught the attention of many, it emerged that Justice Mugambi’s security was withdrawn, a move that attracted condemnation from various sectors of Kenya including Chief Justice Martha Koome.
“This deliberate and punitive measure represents a direct assault on judicial independence, an affront to the rule of law, and a violation of the principles enshrined in our constitution,” Koome said.
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