Aldai MP Marianne Kitany has defended President Ruto's increase on travel as a move to ensure he lsitens to and connects with people at grassroot levels. Photo: Marianne Kitany Facebook.
Aldai lawmaker Marianne Kitany has come to the defense of increase on President William Ruto’s budget on local travels, say the increase is to allow the Head of State to reach more Kenyans.
Speaking during an interview at Citizen TV, Kitany said that the huge allocation and spending by Ruto is to further allow him listen to Kenyans across the country, as well facilitate his grassroots travels to meet and listening to the people.
“When we increase his budget, he is able to travel and listen to people on ground, then we start complaining that we are using so much money. When a president travels there is a lot of planning so that they can be able to commit to the people,” Kitany said.
Speaking on the same show, Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba faulted the president for using nine choppers to go to a place that he could use 12 minutes from Nairobi CBD. Wamuchomba said that the president could have used the road to come lecture for rejecting the finance bill, instead of using the choppers.
“She is very aware that the President comes to lecture us. He came to my constituency in 9 helicopters to come and lecture me for saying NO to the Finance Bill. Is that what you call listening? Githunguri is a 12-minute drive from the CBD when traffic is clear” Wamuchomba stated.
According to the report by the Controller of Budget Dr. Margaret Nyakang’o, President Ruto’s travel expenses increased in the last nine month of the Financial Year 2024/2025 was KSh 1.7 billion, up from KSh 750 million in the previous financial year within a similar period.
The legislator calling on Kenyans to appreciate the efforts made by the president to ensure he directly connects and listen to his people, instead of question his moves. Kitany stating that the Head of State had honoured his calls of reducing government expenditure.
“For me it’s what work has been done, what he has been able to do. In this case he is going to listen to what the people are saying and give them the development agenda,” Kitany said.
Contrary to the defense by Kitany, President Ruto has failed to keep his promise of austerity measures, with the recent actions by the Kenya Kwanza speaking contrary, as recently he added Prof. Makau Mutua in his long list of advisors.
