Ruto dares Raila to produce fuel saga details

President William Ruto in Murang'a County. [PCS]

President William Ruto has told opposition leader Raila Odinga to disclose what he perceives as a scandal in the fuel deal.

Ruto made the statement during an inter-denominational service in Sotik, Bomet county, where he accused those criticising his administration over the cost of living of pursuing selfish interests.

Accompanied by a host of leaders, President Ruto expressed disbelief as Energy CS Davis Chirchir faced heckling from worshippers at the event. Chirchir found himself at the receiving end of criticism regarding poor electricity distribution in the county, prompting him to cut short his speech amidst chants of "electricity" from the crowd.

Coming to Chirchir's defence, Ruto said Bomet is currently at 50 per cent in electricity distribution. He told the crowd that the remaining 50 per cent will be achieved within the next five years, with an increase in the last mile to connect every household.

"Bomet currently has 81,000 households connected to electricity, slightly below 50 per cent, and I want to promise that we will ensure everyone has electricity," Chirchir said.

President Ruto dismissed opposition claims of a fuel deal scandal, saying all details of the deal are in the public domain and available in Parliament.

He accused the opposition of seeking cheap publicity and challenged them to make public any details they believed constituted a scandal in the fuel deal.

Despite the public outcry over the cost of fuel, Ruto expressed confidence that there had been no fuel shortage in the country since he took office. He said his administration is working to bring down the cost of fuel.

Ruto regretted the opposition's efforts to hinder the government's economic transformation, saying other East African countries are looking to emulate Kenya's Government-to-Government fuel deal. He accused the opposition of discrediting the deal, asserting that their actions indicate a lack of goodwill for the Kenyan people.

He also criticised the opposition for attempting to use the national dialogue to undermine the housing agenda. While affirming his commitment to advancing the housing agenda, Ruto said he would rather see the talks fail than have the housing levy eliminated.

“We are comparing the country with Singapore and other nations that are now first world, yet we do not want to embrace what they did to reach where they are,” he added.

Ruto accused the opposition of employing deceitful tactics in the talks and warned them to refrain from advancing selfish interests, urging them to engage in discussions with the best interests of Kenyans at heart.

The president said the opposition is prioritising the early campaign over the needs of Kenyans, emphasising the importance of focusing on people's welfare.

“Let us not focus on how we will get elected in the next election but instead consider the needs of Kenyans and what we can do to move the country forward,” he said.