- The DP has on several occasions stated that the new regime inherited a dilapidated economy.
- This is even as reports showed that State House spent an average Sh8.3 million daily on hospitality in the first six months of President William Ruto's presidency.
Image: RIGATHI GACHAGUA/TWITTER
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said the Kenya Kwanza government will not take responsibility for negative ripple effects of the previous regime's budget.
The DP said the finances they have been utilising up until Thursday when the 2023-24 budget was read were not budgeted by Kenya Kwanza.
Gachagua told off leaders who have criticised the Sh3.68 trillion budget saying they are ignorant.
"Since we came to office on September 13, 2022, the budget that we were utilising was not ours and hence we take no responsibility for his shortcomings or otherwise that budget belongs to the handshake regime," Gachagua said.
"Our budget was rolled out on Thursday, that is Kenya Kwanza's first budget and we want to be held to account for this implementation."
The DP has on several occasions stated that the new regime inherited a dilapidated economy.
During their inauguration on September 13, 2022 at Kasarani Stadium, Gachagua claimed that they found empty coffers and started from scratch with no money.
This is even as reports showed that State House spent an average Sh8.3 million daily on hospitality in the first six months of President William Ruto's presidency.
The report by Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o shows that the Office of the President has consumed more than Sh1.526 billion in the first nine months of Ruto's reign.
By the time former President Uhuru Kenyatta handed over power in September, State House had spent only Sh27 million on hospitality.
This is after Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndungu on Thursday read the 2023/2024 budget statement.
Ruto's first budget since taking office read on Thursday by National Treasury CS Njunguna Ndungu stood at Sh3.68 trillion compared to UHuru's last budget in office which was Sh3.31 trillion.
Azimio MPs stormed out of Parliament as soon as Ndungu started presenting the budget saying the budget estimate was burdensome to Kenyans and they had not endorsed it.
The budget outlines a raft of new tax measures aimed at expanding the revenue base to meet the increased budgetary demands.
"We have walked out because Azimio does not believe in this budget. They don't think this is a budget meant for the Kenyan people. This is a budget meant for the Kenya Kwanza government," Suna East MP Junet Mohamed said.