Speaking while officiating Farmers’ Day in Meru and Kiambu counties on Saturday, the president said that his administration was committed to overseeing the success of its projects including the implementation of the controversial Finance Bill and the Housing Fund.
While admitting that there is a serious unemployment crisis in the country that is getting out of hand, he reiterated that the programmes by Kenya Kwanza such as the Housing project would secure employment for the ‘over five million unemployed youth in the country’.
“Tuko na vijana milioni tano hawana kazi na wanaongezeka kutoka college karibu 800k na tusipopanga kazi ya hawa vijana watapotea,” he said.
“Mpango wetu wa housing itatusaidia kuwapatia hawa vijana kazi…tutaka na 250,000 units kila mwaka tutapata kazi ya carpenters, marsons na wengine.”
The president cited former President Mwai Kibaki’s era where he shunned debts and came up with ways of increasing revenue collections.
In the same way, President Ruto said he would follow in Kibaki’s footsteps and prioritise the collection of taxes as the ultimate solution to grow the economy.
“Mambo ni mawili; Mzee Kibaki wakati alikua Rais tulikua tunakusanya ushuru 200 billion. Akatusaidia kutusukumia mpaka ikafika 900 billion karibu one trillion,” he noted.
“Niendelee na ile ya kukopa ama nirudi kwa ile ya Kibaki tukusanye ushuru? Si hii madeni itaendelea kutuingisha kwa tabu? Na si ni mimi niko hapo sasa? Mimi sitakuwa Rais wa kuingiza nchi kwa matope, kwa hivyo tuendelee kukusanya ushuru, tujenge taifa letu la Kenya.”
President Ruto further noted that the job crisis in the country has exposed the youth and led the majority of them into drug and substance abuse.
“Hawa vijana mnawaona hawana kazi sasa wameingia kwa madawa ya kulevya; hiyo ndio mnataka kama wakenya?” the president stated.
To further reduce the jobless, President Ruto says the government will in the current budget unveiled last Thursday, establish ICT hubs in all the wards to trickle the job creation to the county level.
“We are going to establish in every word ICT centres because we do not want unemployment to take our future generation in the wrong direction,” President Ruto stated.
Leaders who accompanied the president to Meru lauded the Finance Bill 2023 that zero-rated farm inputs.
Sasa umetoa ushuru kwa vile vitu vya wakulima hiyo itawasaidia kuzalisha maziwa zaidi,” Agriculture Cabinet Secreatry Mithika Linturi said.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua added: “Hapa Meru rais amekuja kwa sababu mumewacha vita..juzi mliona ameniambi nipigane na mambo ya madawa ya kulevya na kutatua mambo ya kahawa.”
