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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has assured Kenyans working and living abroad that the country is secure, and the economy has recovered.
Addressing over 400 members of the Diaspora Community in Kigali Rwanda on Saturday night, the Deputy President urged Kenyans living abroad to invest in Kenya and purchase the government’s affordable houses. He stated that there is political stability in the country.
“Kenya’s security is high. Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki has helped restore security in North Rift and Lamu. It will continue so that the government can create right atmosphere to attract investment and tourism. Kenya is great again, we have political stability, everybody is busy, and we are back to the right trajectory in terms of economy development,” said Mr Gachagua.
“Invest back in home and especially in the housing program. The houses are affordable, and the mortgage is manageable and payable for long-term. You won’t even feel it,” he continued.
The Deputy President added that the Kenya Kwanza administration upholds democracy, and that President William Ruto is open to criticism. “We have tolerance, we are democratic, and we run an open system where the government and the President are ready to be criticized in any manner. We don’t want dictatorship, we want to be held to account,” DP Gachagua stated.
On Kenya’s economic situation, the Deputy President said resulting from hard work of President Ruto the economy is showing visible and greater signs of recovery.
He said President Ruto has also contained the cost of living. Mr Gachagua highlighted appreciation of the Kenyan shilling against the dollar, hiring of 56,000 teachers to bridge the teacher-student ratio and development programs of the government.
“We are in the right trajectory in economy and policies put by President are bearing fruits,” DP Gachagua said.
During the Diaspora Engagement Forum, the Deputy President also apprised the group on implementation of various government’s development agenda such as the affordable housing and enhancement of the diaspora affairs.
Principal Secretary State department for Diaspora Affairs Roseline Njogu, the Kenya High Commissioner to Rwanda Amb. Janet Mwawasi Oben, Mps and two Kenya university student leaders were also present at the event.
In his message to the diaspora community, Mr Gachagua said; “the Kenya Kwanza administration made a deliberate decision to increase engagement between the Diaspora Community and government”.
“This is the reason why the President William Ruto established the State Department for Diaspora Affairs to boost service delivery to Kenyans abroad. The Kenya Kwanza administration is a government of continuous engagement; President Ruto and I are very deliberate in engaging Kenyans because we do not know everything. We want to do more listening than talking,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy President condemned the distribution to sub-standard fertilizer to government stores and said police detectives will arrest persons involved in the scam.
He said rogue suppliers delivered a consignment of 50,000 bags of the sub-standard fertilizer; an amount that he said is negligible and cannot affect the country’s food security situation. The Deputy President also said the security detectives are on top of the matter and arrests and prosecution will be made soon.
“Every society has rogue person s. Only one supplier brought something that is not good. It is negligible. The amount involved is small and cannot affect our food security. However, we will be more careful and work on how to stop people from being mischievous,” he stated as he asked traders to be patriotic.
According to the Deputy President, the government has imported four million bags of fertilizer and out of that amount only 50,000 bags came from a crooked supplier.
“The fertilizer subsidy program has been very successful. Before we came in, the fertilizer never used to reach people. We registered over five million farmers and created an electronic voucher system. As a result of the subsidized price of fertiliser, we produced over 60 million bags of maize last year up from 40 million,” he said.
On the issue of delays in processing of passports by the immigration department, he said the government will acquire new modern equipments within 45 days.
“Our printing machines were old. With the global cybercrime, we need modern equipment. There was a delay in processing of passports, but we have put into motion process of acquiring modern equipment in 45 days. Passports will be printed in record time and there will be efficiency,” he said.
