- Ruto said he is being pushed to start new road projects.
- The President affirmed that he will complete the projects irrespective of who started them.
Image: PCS
President William Ruto has stated the reasons why he will not start new road projects, saying he is currently concentrating on completing stalled roads across the country.
Speaking on Thursday during a town hall meeting in Kisumu, Ruto said he is being pushed to start new road projects but affirmed that he will complete all stalled road projects irrespective of who started them.
"I was in this region to unlock some of the roads that were stalled. I want to give you my commitment that all those roads that were stalled will be completed. We are not going to start any roads until we complete the ones that are already stalled," Ruto said.
"Many people want to push me that why don't I start new roads that will have my signatures, I'm not interested in having my signature, I'm interested in building the roads that are already there because they are Kenyan roads irrespective of who started them."
Ruto's sentiments come after Kenyans on social media raised concerns about developmental projects launched.
Lawyer and activist Morara Kebaso was at the forefront of pointing out the status of government projects done by the current and former regimes.
Morara took the internet by storm after he launched a nationwide tour to inspect the progress of projects.
However, on August 19, State House spokesperson Hussein Mohammed told him off for allegedly misleading Kenyans over the status of the projects.
Of specific concern to Mohammed was the Metembe - Marani - Kegogi - Nyaore Road.
The road crisscrosses Kitutu Chache North and South constituencies in Kisii and is 64.6 kilometres.
“Launched in 2016 by Uhuru. Launched again juzi (yesterday) when Ruto came to Kisii. Those leaders should stop playing with our minds. Which development did the president bring to Kisii? Tell us,” Morara said on X.
Responding to Morara, Mohammed said the project was initially awarded on May 11, 2016, and work commenced on August 5, 2016, after its launch by then-President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“But the contract was mutually terminated on May 16, 2023, due to the contractor's non-performance. At the time of termination, the contractor had completed 27 kilometres, with 77 months having lapsed out of the 30-month contract period,” Mohammed said.
The UDA party, a member of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance headed by the President also said the results speak for themselves.
Last week, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura defended the President's move to relaunch projects, saying it is for a noble cause.
Mwaura said many projects are incomplete and cannot be released to Kenyans.
Mwaura added that relaunching a project is for accountability purposes.
"The commencement of a project, the relaunching of a project that has stalled, and the completion of commissioning, if a project is stalled and relaunched, there is nothing as noble as that. It is the greatest extent of accountability," Mwaura said.
Mwaura added that projects may stall due to many factors; therefore, they are completed once the funds are in place.
"Projects stall because of budgetary challenges and huge public debt. When you see the president making sure that what has started is moving on, it means the intention to make sure it is complete and serves the purpose upon which it was conceived," he said.