Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa has taken a swipe at President William Ruto for failing to keep the promises he made to Kenyans prior to being elected into office.
The MP, while giving his two cents on the current economic status of the country, accused Ruto of neglecting Kenyans despite most of them voting for him. What pained the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) politician was the doubling of the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products from 8 to 18 per cent.
According to Barasa, the only way the President can lower the cost of living in the country is by reducing taxes imposed on petroleum products.
“Of course, we know that the cost of petroleum is as a result of global markets, where Kenya as a country has a limited role to play on how we are going to approach it, but we can circumvent it by lowering the taxes levied on petroleum products.”
The MP further warned President Ruto to focus on reviving the economy rather than staging wrangles with the opposition politicians.
"Let us focus on how we are going to reconstruct the economy and how we are going to lower the cost of living,” Barasa stated, adding that despite Kenya Kwanza being in power for over a year, the top leadership was involved in back and forth squabbles with their nemesis.
With Kenyans losing patience with Ruto's regime, which promised much and is struggling to deliver, the MP, a close confidant of the head of state, wants him to rethink his strategies.
According to the Kimilili MP, the Kenya Kwanza manifesto would guide the President better.
"Let him look at what he said he would do for Kenyans once he takes over the government."
“I would like to tell President Ruto if he wants to please the people of Kenya, he should look at the documents he signed, the economic charters that he signed, the UDA and the Kenya Kwanza manifesto," Barasa noted in an interview with Citizen TV.
Barasa joins a list of UDA MPs who have confronted President Ruto, warning that their constituents are becoming fade up with his regime and that the ground is turning hostile.
In his response, the head of state was said to have told the MPs that they ought to be “popular at the right time and not all the time”.
On November 9, in his State of the Nation address, the President warned of tougher times ahead as his administration seeks to service Kenya's burgeoning debt. He also warned that the government would not consider using subsidies to cushion Kenyans, whom he has subjected to stringent tax measures.
Nonetheless, he emphasised that the government was working on supporting the agricultural sector to boost food production and reduce the cost of commodities.
