Kenya: Karua Takes On Ruto Over Project Relaunch As State House Defends Move

8 April 2023
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Sharon Resian

Nairobi — NARC Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua has criticized President William Ruto for relaunching the construction of the 55-kilometer road in Nyandarua.

Karua who deputized Raila Odinga in the 2022 State House race asserted that the relaunch should have acknowledged an initial unveiling of the project in 2018 when Ruto was Deputy President.

"Nothing can excuse the deceptive launching of an already launched project," she said on Friday.

"If at all it was in good faith, the second launch should have acknowledged first upfront not wait to give lame excuses after being outed! The truth will always out."

She spoke even as State House defended the relaunch of the Captain-Ndemi/Wanjohi-Kwa Matu-Geta-Kahuruko-Ndunyu Njeru Road saying the project had deliberately been denied funding by President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration to embarrass Ruto.

Intentionally stalled

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed said the 55-kilometre Road was denied funding to frustrate Ruto's bid for the presidency after Kenyatta settled on Odinga as his preferred candidate.

He said several other projects Ruto launched when he was Deputy President were deliberately denied funding despite having been budgeted for.

"During last year's election campaigns, President Ruto promised to complete all stalled projects, including roads. During the 'Handshake' (2018-2022), many projects he launched were deliberately denied funding even though they were in the government's programme," he said.

"This was to frustrate the then Deputy President and his bid for the presidency. Today, it's evident that the architects of these schemes that they thought would frustrate President Ruto, ultimately hurt the people, the economy and Kenya."

Mohammed said the President will "clean up the mess" and complete all stalled projects before embarking on new ones.

"He promised to complete all stalled projects before embarking on new ones. This is the President fulfilling his pledges," he added.

A tweet declaring that he had inaugurated the Nyandarua project on Thursday caused a stir on social media after images of the 2018 launch surfaced.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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