Nairobi — President William Ruto has dismissed threats by Azimio Coalition to revive demonstrations saying the Raila Odinga-led coalition cannot justify the call for protests.
Ruto singled out the lowering of maize flour prices from Sh230 during the 'handshake' administration which Odinga backed to Sh160 per 2kg pack under his leadership.
Speaking during the launching of the the upgrading to bitumen standard of the 13km Malava-Kimang'eti-Ikoli Road in Malava Constituency, Kakamega County on Saturday, Ruto said the government will not back off until it guarantees businesses of its residents are shielded from the 'illegal demonstrations' led by Odinga.
"These people were claiming that the cost of unga is high, they were demonstrating claiming unga prices are high, now that it has drop they are still insisting on going to the streets to demonstrate meaning they were not after the cost of living they have been claiming it is high," he said.
"I found the price of unga at sh 230 and since we took over the unga has dropped to below Sh160 and I have only used my intelligence," he noted.
"The opposition are demonstrating with Sufuria's on their heads, can that bring down the price of unga down?" he asked.
Taming anarchy
Ruto added that the purpose of the protests is to further personal interests, plunge the nation into poverty, wreck the economy and sabotage national peace.
The Head of State gave assurances that the government would be resolute in protecting their property and that, as Commander in Chief, he would not permit the opposition to destabilize the country.
"The government will not allow the citizen's property to be destroyed again. We will not allow any Kenyan business to be destroyed the government will stand firm to defend every Kenyan's business and property," he said.
"I will not allow demonstrations to happen and i want to tell them for the avoidance of doubt, there will be no demonstration to destroy people's property, to cause chaos, to stop people from going to work that will not happen."
May 1 target
President William Ruto had told Kenyans to expect new prices of unga from May 1.
Speaking in Ongata Rongai on Friday, President William Ruto told Kenyans he will do anything he can to ensure unga prices continue to drop to make life bearable.
"Unga was retailing at Sh230 but wehave ensured that the price has dropped to Sh160withoutintroducing a subsidy program And next week, you will see new prices because I'm working to ensure the prices drop further," he said.
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He put Odinga on the spot over the high unga prices saying he participated in the deterioration of commodity prices even as the ODM leader vowed to continue with protests over the high cost of living.
"Those who played a role in increasing unga prices to Sh230 are now busy planning protests," he said.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi on Tuesday gave millers a seven-day ultimatum to import maize or have their duty-free importation licenses revoked.
Speaking on Tuesday while meeting the millers at his office, Linturi accused a section of millers of exporting consumable grain to neighboring countries for more profit at the expense of Kenyan citizens.
Taming rogue millers
"On April 30, those people that will not have given us proof that there is something we are waiting for will have their licenses declared not valid," he said.
"Some of you are exporting maize and rice to South Sudan and Tanzania. As we sit here, we have even impounded some of these commodities under our custody."
He said the government will not permit the millers to export food products to other nations when it is encountering food shortages.
"There is no country that will allow its millers to export food products while its own country lacks food and that is why so other countries are denying you their produce because they must feed their very own first," CS Linturi said.
