Citizen TV anchor, Ayub Abdikadir, on Wednesday, June 7, put Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro to task over what he termed as double standards in the Kenya Kwanza government regarding the high cost of living.
In an interview, the anchor wondered why President William Ruto's administration initially faulted the past regime for not fixing the country's economic crisis and rather blamed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However, since taking over the reins, Ruto shifted his stance and admitted that the ongoing war affected Kenya's economic stability.
"Isn't it ironic that it was not the position that your campaign team held in the months leading up to August 2022? In fact, the president stated (at the time) that the former government should not blame the economic crisis in Kenya on the Russia-Ukraine war, yet a UDA MP sits here and states that the invasion has had an impact. Why the double standards?" the news anchor posed.
"The distinguishing factor is what they did then vis-a-vis what we are doing now," Nyoro responded.
Abdikadir prodded further, arguing that Nyoro's team, in the months leading to the election, insisted that the war did not affect the country and urged the then government, led by President Uhuru Kenyatta, to address the main problem.
In his defence, Nyoro acknowledged the effects of the war but claimed that their (Ruto government's) resolutions on the issue were the distinguishing factor between the current and former regime.
"The fact of the matter is that Russia and Ukraine are the number one exporters of wheat and edible oils to other countries," Nyoro stated.
"But you denied the effects. Did you or did you not?" Abdikadir questioned.
"The difference between what they did versus what we're doing is the distinguishing factor. They subsidised consumption and we are subsidising production. You will see that it will have a spiral effect in terms of multiplying the production. We are attacking the cost of living on that basis and not frivolous statements," Nyoro defended his boss.
Nyoro, the Budgets and Appropriations Committee chairman, blamed the Kenyatta regime for only offering lip service to Kenyans by failing to pay the subsidies and pushing the burden to his successor.
"What Kenyans must know is that the subsidy was of lip service. It is us who are paying for this subsidy now," Nyoro pointed out.
In the months leading to the August 9 General Election, Ruto dismissed his predecessor, Uhuru, who claimed that the high cost of living was largely attributed to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Instead, he alleged that the issue could be solved by investing primarily in agriculture and doubling farmers' production.
"This story about Ukraine is a lost cause," Ruto stated on June 30, 2022.
