Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Wednesday revealed that President William Ruto has engaged over 270,000 youth in the job sector since taking over the reins from former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In a stern rebuttal to a story published by the BBC, Mwaura further noted that the Head of State had successfully negotiated 350,000 job vacancies abroad expected to be filled by Kenyans in the coming months.
The state argued that the BBC report falsely claimed that the country was reeling under a net job loss. Instead, Mwaura revealed that Ruto is the 'most committed leader that Kenya has ever had.'
"President Ruto is the most committed leader that Kenya has ever had in implementing 'the plan', a manifesto that is aimed at transforming Kenya. He has kept his promise of creating job opportunities for Kenyans. It's thus untrue that there is a net job loss," read the statement in part.
"In fact, over 270,000 Kenyans especially the youth, have been engaged by the government with over 56,000 employed as teachers, 100,000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs), and 120,000 jobs created through the affordable housing program, in 33 sites alone. The president has also negotiated for over 350,000 jobs for Kenyans to work abroad."
Mwaura also raised concerns over facts covered in the article, including claims that the state had hiked charges to obtain birth and death certificates.
"There are no new charges for acquiring birth & death certificates, passports and National Identity cards. The fees remain unchanged," added the statement.
"Kenya's inflation remains low at 6.8% compared to other countries, with the World Bank ranking the country as the 29th fastest growing economy in the world."
In its outlook for 2024, the Office of the Government Spokesperson, indicated that it expects to host over 2.5 million tourists as a result of easing visa requirements, a figure expected to balloon to 4.5 million by the 2026/2027 financial year.
In the report, the international media conglomerate, while quoting economists, highlighted that the economy had been affected by increased taxes. It further noted that some firms had opted to leave the country altogether.
The Spokesperson was, however, quick to note that Kenyan taxation, including the recently added taxes like housing levy, was still lower compared to other first-world countries.
"On taxation, we remain lower at 36% compared to other countries such as the UK, whose taxation is over 45%. Kenyans want to be self-reliant rather than depending on borrowing and this can only be achieved through financing our own budget," clarified the statement.
After the government communique was made public, BBC ran a correction on the article touching on the birth and death certificate application fees among other subjects.
"Correction and update: This article has been corrected to reflect that the price of ID cards and other official documents has not taken effect. It has also been updated to reflect the government's position on its record on spending, job creation and tourism," read the correction in part.
