Deputy President William Ruto has urged all three arms of
government to work together and eliminate confrontation and arguments
that do not help in changing the lives of Kenyans.
Speaking
on Saturday in Nyeri town, Mr Ruto urged all elected leaders to work
for the people and eliminate all disagreements which are not healthy for
the country.
“All of us have been elected by Kenyans
whether as MCAs, MPs, Senators, Governors, President and I, those
working in the Judiciary, those working in various commissions, all of
us work for the people of Kenya and we must eliminate confrontations,
arguments that don’t help in changing the lives of the people,” said Mr
Ruto.
The DP was addressing a congregation at New Life Church during the ordination and consecration of a church bishop.
WAGE BILL
Mr
Ruto said the government had on the need to develop the country with a
ballooning wage bill threatening the country’s development.
He said public wages were guzzling the bulk of the budget resources, leaving a mere Sh200 billion a year to finance projects.
“We
need a conversation in the country on how we are going to move into the
future together. And that’s why the President and I and the government
of Kenya we want to have a conversation as Kenyans,” said the DP.
He
said only seven per cent of the country’s resources are available and
that’s why there is need to think and make hard decisions if the country
has to move forward.
“We are going to have that conversation on Monday so that we can agree on how to move forward,” said Mr Ruto.
He said plans had been set out to ensure all the planned projects are achieved.
RESPECT INSTITUTIONS
Senate
Majority leader Professor Kithure Kindiki said as the Senate they
respect all the institutions that have been set up in the country to
make sure that Kenyans get development and services.
“We respect MCAs, MPs, Governors and other institutions,” he said.
“We respect MCAs, MPs, Governors and other institutions,” he said.
He, however, stated that other institutions must also respect the Senate.
He
said the Senate is the advocate for devolution process, and their
business is to ensure that the counties get more resources.
Prof
Kindiki said they are expecting more money in the next financial year
to be channelled to counties for development purposes.
He warned those who would try to cut the resources to be allocated to counties.
“We
will resist any attempt to make counties unable to deliver services,
and we have no apology to make out of that,” said Prof Kindiki.
He
warned governors of misuse of the funds stating that the Senate would
be firm to ensure money channelled to the counties is used
appropriately.
He insisted that all those governors who had been summoned by the Senate must appear before the Finance Committee of the House.
Elgeyo
Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen said that as leaders, they must be
responsible and accountable to their people. He said they would ensure
that counties get more money for development.
Nyeri
Governor Nderitu Gachagua defended the governors saying that the 47
governors were elected by people and are accountable to the electorates.
He
said there is no governor who wanted to be exempted from the audit or
oversight and the only requirement they were asking was that they be
subjected to a fair process.
“You do not accuse
somebody of corruption yet you do not take him through the court system
to establish whether he is guilty or otherwise. You do not sit in a room
and hung someone. Every Kenyan is entitled to a court process,
protection of the law and this is what we are saying as governors,” said
Mr Gachagua.
He said if there is any mismanagement of
resources, as governors they are ready to answer but governors should be
treated like any other elected leaders.
Nyeri County
MPs led by Nyeri town MP Esther Murugi said there must be accountability
and they would want to see governors working.
The MPs pledged to take a pay cut as their contribution to the reduction of the public wage bill.
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