Monday, July 25, 2022 – Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s running mate, Martha Karua, has taken a jibe at the Kenya Editors’ Guild for correcting her presentation of facts and data during her debate with Deputy President William Ruto’s running mate Rigathi Gachagua last week.
Karua faulted the Editors for their analysis that indicated she misrepresented figures when putting across the point that the problem facing Kenyans was not revenue but expenditure.
“Fact-checkers (Kenya Editors’ Guild) ought to be ready to dig deeper and not quick to dismiss without adequate research. It is a fact that our problem is not revenue but expenditure and that is what I illustrated,” Karua posted on her Twitter handle.
According to the Editors, Karua was inaccurate with her figures touching on economic expenditure, a subject that has drawn attention among Kenyans and which might be a plus to Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza.
During the debate, Karua is quoted saying that Operation plus Maintenance (OM) costs amounted to Ksh600 billion. But according to a fact check by the Editors, Karua overquoted the figures by close to Ksh300 billion.
Karua is also heard saying that expenditure on salary in the country for public servants – both at the national and county levels – amounted to Ksh550 billion. Editors’ fact check stated otherwise, quoting the expenditure at Ksh665 billion, an underquote by Ksh115 billion from Karua.
A fact check by Editors was supported by the office of the Controller of Budget (CoB) which states that Operations and Maintenance stood at Ksh324.6 billion and expenditure on salaries at Ksh665 billion, based on the 2021/22 fiscal year budget.
During the debate, Gachagua hit out at Karua, claiming she was unfit for office after she told the moderators she buys bread for Ksh80.
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