Opposition Leader Raila Odinga has strongly criticised President Uhuru Kenyatta for saying that the Jubilee government had delivered on pre-election promises during the State of the Nation Address on Wednesday.
In a statement sent from the US where he has been, Mr Odinga noted that nearly all areas in the nation had degenerated in the last four years since the Jubilee administration rose to power.
The Opposition chief cited the number of Kenyans facing starvation, massive job layoffs and rising national debt as some of the examples that showed the country was not doing well.
"Millions of Kenyans are starving. As the President painted a glowing picture of its tenure and the nation yesterday, reports by the very government he heads indicate that the number of Kenyans facing starvation has risen to 2.7 million in 2017 compared to 1.7 million last year," he emphasised.
Raila alluded that despite having a Sh1.9 Trillion budget for development over the last four years, the government had struggled to pinpoint projects it had launched
The Opposition chief criticised the Head of State on how he was handling the drought situation in the country.
"The Jubilee administration has sent appeals for food aid all over the world. The famine ravaging the land is the final repudiation of Jubilee policies on agriculture and food security. Droughts do not cause famines. Famines are caused by the failure to mitigate droughts," he reasured.
Odinga lamented that Uhuru's State of Nation address had left Kenyans pondering what country the President was talking about.
"Pension funds and other investors in the Nairobi Securities Exchange lost Sh120 billion in 2016. The slide continues. A record number of companies listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange have issued profit warnings. More than 10,000 Kenyans were laid off by big companies last year.
"The main reason cited for business closure was shortage of operating funds owing to increased operating expenses, declining income and losses incurred from businesses," he highlighted.
On matters of healthcare, Raila blamed Uhuru's government for valuing equipment more than personnel in the sector.
"Jubilee had no qualms leasing diagnostic equipment for Sh5 billion a year, but cared less about doctors and health workers in public hospitals," he reiterated.
In his State of the Nation Address, Mr Kenyatta listed the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway and roads as some of the big successes his administration had achieved.
Kenyatta also described the reduction of cheating in examinations as one of the proudest achievements of his administration.
