Hello and welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Evening Brief Newsletter where Murkomen found himself in a verbal minefield courtesy of Ruto.
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Murkomen! You Will Be in Trouble - Ruto
President William Ruto did not hesitate to turn the heat on Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over his expectations regarding sanity on the roads.
According to the Head of State, who spoke during the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024 - 2028 at KICC, road accidents and fatalities ought to be reduced by 50 per cent in the next four years.
Ruto opined that it can no longer be business as usual when Kenyans are losing their lives on the roads.
The Head of State, therefore, noted that he wanted to get better reports during the next meeting held on road safety.
"One year from now, we will have another meeting and Kipchumba Murkomen you better come with results that the numbers are coming down, otherwise you will be in a lot of trouble," he stated.
On the other hand, the President also directed the CS to expedite the rollout of instant fines on the roads within the next 90 days.
The instant fines will be used in enforcing traffic rules and penalising offenders through a digital system.
Notably, at the heart of the implementation plan is the installation of cameras on the roads. As detailed by Ruto, the cameras will be installed on all major roads and junctions by the end of the year.
Also Read: How the instant fines will work.
Meanwhile, Public Service Vehicle (PSV) drivers were also at the receiving end of Ruto’s stern directives.
In his speech, the Head of State directed that drivers arrested for reckless driving ought to refund passengers their fares.
"The police must collaborate with citizens and ensure that dangerously driven PSVs reimburse fares upon arrest," he directed.
Ruto's Resignation Order
Just minutes after unleashing his directives on the transport sector, Ruto turned his attention to the public service which has been blemished by the fake certificates and ghost workers.
During his address at the 3rd National Wage Bill Conference 2024 at the Bomas of Kenya, Ruto directed over 2,000 employees with fake certificates to resign from the government.
He detailed that it was immoral for some individuals to be earning a salary yet they do not qualify for the jobs.
Ruto added that it would no longer be business as usual, even indicating that the government would call for the employees to refund the government.
"Tusisumbuane, just use the salaries and wages so that we stop the games. Otherwise, EACC and DCI must move with speed to recover the public resources that were used," he added.
"Those 2,000 people, just surrender and walk away because it is not going to be business as usual going forward," he stated.
Meanwhile, the government is expected to conduct an audit on payrolls to get rid of ghost workers.
Additionally, all employees will be registered afresh as part of the operation on ghost workers.
Here are the five top stories for the day;
Government directs international students to make payments in dollars.
Read Kenyans.co.ke's exclusive on the net worth of newly nominated ambassadors. It is purely a millionaires club.
Government lists Kenyans who will be exempted from paying the 1.5 per cent Housing Levy.
Explained: Why Maasai headers are among three categories of people legally mandated to people to can stop a vehicle on the road in Nairobi
35 Liverpool Football Club coaches will be arriving in Kenya for a three-day camp. Timothy Cerullo details their visit here.
This newsletter was written by Washington Mito and edited by Brian Muuo.
Derrick Kubasu contributed to the content.
Graphics prepared by Adongo Kyalo and Ronnie Mbugua.
