President William Ruto on Sunday, December 25, downplayed the recent criticism from opposition chief Raila Odinga regarding Kenya Kwanza’s performance in its first 100 days in office.
Ruto who spoke during an interdenominational Christmas service held at the Eldoret Sports Club, Uasin Gishu county noted that it was within the opposition’s rights to express their views.
However, the Head of State maintained that the criticism will not derail his plans of executing the Kenya Kwanza manifesto and deliver the nation from the burden of borrowing.
He asserted that his administration embarked on a mission to "build a new foundation for Kenya's economy" and reduce the reliance on borrowing.
In addition, the President stated that his government will not give in to the pressure of borrowing to finance development projects despite the pressure mounted on him.
"We have built our economy on the basis of debt and that is why we are paying Ksh1.4 trillion to service debts. We want to build our economy on the basis of revenue raised from our savings and tax to secure our independence," Ruto stated.
However, Ruto acknowledged the importance of criticism from the opposition in promoting democracy and development in the country.
He further pledged to support opposition politics in a bid to bolster their role of oversight and providing checks to the government of the day.
“My happiness is that our country's opposition is doing its work. The government is ready to work with the opposition long as every party plays its part to better our nation. Previously we saw the govt merge with the opposition which did more harm than good bringing drought and debts. It is okay when the opposition is venting on issues affecting Kenyans," Ruto added.
His sentiments came days after Odinga termed Ruto's 100 days in office as a "road to nowhere" based on what he presented as unfulfilled promises.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, December 22, Odinga highlighted the scrapping of fuel subsidies and school fees as some of the instances that indicated the betrayal of Kenyans. On a scale of ten, the ODM Leader gave Ruto's administration a score of four, to signify his disapproval of his leadership.
"These have been 100 days on the road to nowhere. Kenyans are worse off than they were during the campaigns when UDA promises flowed," Raila stated in a communique released on December 22.
