Wednesday, August 28, 2024 – National Assembly Finance Committee Chairman Kuria Kimani has come to the defense of President William Ruto for launching ghost projects across the country which were started by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Speaking during an interview,
Kuria, however, blamed Uhuru for the ghost projects that Ruto is relaunching.
He noted that Uhuru overborrowed
money in a bid to leave a substantial legacy but never put the money into
projects that were intended or had misplaced priorities.
In a striking revelation, Kuria shed light on the scale and purpose of the debt accumulated during Kenyatta's last year in office.
The country's total debt of Ksh10.39 trillion includes a
significant portion borrowed under Kenyatta, ostensibly for ambitious projects
that have now turned into ghost ventures.
“Most of the money that was
borrowed at the tail end of the previous administration, was done when there
was pressure to launch projects,” stated Kuria.
Kuria highlighted the Standard Gauge Railway which cost the country Ksh477 billion, a project funded by Chinese loans that remains largely unused.
Kuria pointed to Phase 2A from Nairobi to
Naivasha which was completed in 2019 at Ksh150 billion but has remained largely
unused.
“Most of the money borrowed was
used under pressure to launch projects that are now of questionable value,”
Kuria stated.
As a result, Kuria emphasized
the need for a strategic realignment of priorities to address the country’s
financial predicament.
“We are in a hole... We need to
get our priorities right,” Kuria asserted.
“Most of these loans did not
prioritise projects that were relevant.”
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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