DP Gachagua tells Kenyans not to expect quick economic fixes

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (pictured) has urged Kenyans not to expect quick fixes from the Kenya Kwanza administration.

He said the government has rolled out strategic programmes to revive the struggling economy.

Speaking at AIC Zombe in Kitui East, Gachagua, accompanied by East Africa and Arid Lands Cabinet Secretary Penina Malonza, likened the country’s economy to a patient in the intensive care unit (ICU), saying it needed to be resuscitated slowly.

The Deputy President told the faithful that President William Ruto was committed to turning around the economy and appealed to Kenyans to be patient, acknowledging that the government was facing teething problems.

Gachagua said they had initiated sound programmes to get the economy back on its feet, reiterating that Dr Ruto’s administration inherited a collapsed economy.

“It would be unfair to expect a patient who was in the ICU to walk back home straight from the hospital. The patient must first go through the HDU (high dependency unit), get discharged, and then be nursed to stand on her feet,” the DP said.

Results

“The darkest hour is just before the dawn. Things are improving, and soon you will see fruits. Be patient as we walk this journey together,” he added.

The Deputy President wooed members of the Kamba community by urging them to fix their politics and stop following political leaders blindly.

The DP singled out ODM leader Raila Odinga, accusing him of taking the Kamba kingpin Kalonzo Musyoka for a ride for many years, which he said had made the community suffer in the opposition for decades.

“Time has come for you to fix your politics. You cannot always follow a man who takes you nowhere,” said Gachagua.

Revisiting the 2022 presidential election, the DP said Raila humiliated and embarrassed Kalonzo by subjecting him to an interview meant to determine the best-suited person to deputise him.

“How do you take a leader of a whole community to an interview to humiliate and embarrass him, yet he is somebody you know, somebody who has supported you in the past?” said Gachagua, adding that Raila's choice of deputy (Martha Karua) was predetermined.

The DP further claimed that Raila had backtracked on a report produced by the National Dialogue Committee, despite having fronted the Wiper party leader to co-chair the bipartisan talks alongside National Assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah. 

'Showing Ukambani love'

“The man is simply wasting Kalonzo’s time and taking the Kamba community for a ride,” he said and urged the community to throw its weight behind the Kenya Kwanza administration.

According to Gachagua, the government is set to address some of Ukambani’s perennial problems, such as water shortage, through multibillion-shilling water projects like the Thwake multipurpose dam in Makueni, Umaa dam in Kitui, and the high grand falls multipurpose dam located downstream of the Kiambere hydro power station along River Tana, which cuts across Kitui, Embu, and Tharaka Nithi counties.

“We will continue showing you love. We will continue supporting the people of Ukambani,” the DP said and challenged opposition leaders to also participate in development projects in their regions without leaving the task to the government alone.