President Uhuru Kenyatta has insisted that the national government’s borrowing shouldn’t faze people, given that the government is borrowing foreign funds to invest in the country’s economy and not to consume. This comes after past sentiments from opposition leaders that the country’s debt is too big to handle. “If borrowing is going to investments such as the rail, roads, water and health, things that have a positive impact in the country and enable economy growth, we shouldn’t be concerned,” said President Uhuru Kenyatta. Speaking in Nairobi during the launch of an information portal highlighting the government’s achievements in the fours years at the helm, President Kenyatta said the information portal will account for the funds borrowed, including the Eurobond money.
President Uhuru Kenyatta also urged county governments to cooperate with the national government when it comes to launching and establishing projects. “This unseemly competition that people want to put out there is unnecessary,” said President Kenyatta, in reference to alleged competition between the national government and governors. “We should be collaborative partners, not competitors,” he said. “The fact that we have County governments doesn’t mean the national government doesn’t have functions that it implements at the County level,” said President Kenyatta. “We have road and water programs that stretch across Counties. So when we go to launch them, it’s not a matter of showing what the national government has done or what the County government has failed to do,” he said, citing that the projects are meant to complement the work by the County governments. He said if some governors wouldn’t view things the way they do, then cooperation would’ve been realized.
Deputy President William Ruto said that Jubilee’s success is that they’ve managed to shift the focus of Kenyans towards development. “This then creates the next contest, so that it won’t be about where you come from, the community or te region, but it will be about what is your manifesto that will change the lives of people of our republic,” said Deputy President Ruto.