File image of Rigathi Gachagua
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has defended President William Ruto over spending millions of taxpayers money on foreign trips.
Speaking on Monday June 19 during the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement briefing at State House Gachagua said that the President’s trips have had a significant impact on the Kenyan economy despite being expensive.
“Yesterday morning I found another headline that said you have spent three times what your predecessor has spent on local and international travel. But these people were not objective enough to outline the level of activities you have carried out during that period.
“Cost is determined by the level of activities. I, therefore, invite the media to find out when the president has traveled and which country, what is the gain for the country?” He posed.
According to the Sunday Nation, President Ruto has spent more than three times what Uhuru spent in his first eight months in office.
The paper reported that Ruto spent Ksh 2.369 billion between September 2022 and March 2023 on travel, hospitality and fuel maintenance of vehicles compared to his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta who spent Ksh 825 million between October 2021 and March 2022.
The expenses extend beyond the presidency, with national government officials’ foreign trips costing taxpayers Sh4.67 billion, an increase from Sh3.95 billion in the previous year under Kenyatta’s administration.
Nation further noted that from July 2022 to March 2023, the national government has spent Ksh 23.56 billion on domestic travel, vehicle maintenance, and fuel for Ruto’s office compared to Ksh 16.68 billion in the same period the previous year.
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