By Steve Otieno
Reporter
Nation Media Group
The politics of unga prices yet again took centre stage after President Uhuru Kenyatta accused his deputy William Ruto of politicising the recent price reduction of maize flour following the government’s decision to subsidise the commodity, reducing the price from Sh205 to Sh100 three days ago.
Several false claims were also made by both Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition presidential running mate Martha Karua and her Kenya Kwanza counterpart Rigathi Gachagua during their recent debate, and the inaccurate claims were flagged.
A candidate seeking the Nairobi governor’s seat yesterday made an unlikely pledge to the Muslim community in the capital city if he is elected – that he would give 50 per cent of cabinet slots to them.
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Ruto, Raila pile pressure on IEBC over results transmission
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Hits and misses in Gachagua and Karua exchange
Here is all you need to know about Kenya’s politics as of July 21.
Ruto playing politics with unga, Uhuru says
President Kenyatta yesterday directed maize millers to lower the retail price of a 2kg bag of maize flour to Sh100, down from the current Sh205.
He said the Import Declaration Fee (IDF) and the Railway Development Levy on all imported maize had been suspended, adding that the government would pay a Sh105 subsidy per packet of 2kg maize flour.
Addressing the nation from the State House on the high cost of living on Wednesday, President Kenyatta clarified that the move was meant to lower the cost of living for vulnerable households, even as a sustainable solution is being sought.
“These subsidies are meant to lessen the cost of living for vulnerable households as we look for solutions to the recurrent rising price of items every election,” he said.
He also challenged politicians to cease politicising the plight of vulnerable Kenyans for political mileage.
“My appeal to the political class is to exercise civic responsibility. To politicise the pain of the vulnerable without offering solutions is to mock the lifestyle of the same voters the politicians are appealing to,” he said.
He also pointed out that the price of maize flour shoots up every election cycle.
“Every election in this country has attracted an ‘unga crisis’. In fact, there seems to be an engineered connection between elections and the high prices of unga,” the President said.
Read: Uhuru: Ruto is weaponising Ugali for votes
Tyre of aircraft carrying Raila’s entourage bursts in Turkana
The rear left tyre of a fixed-wing aircraft with the body number 5Y-SPZ, which carried some people in Mr Raila Odinga’s entourage, yesterday evening burst on a runway at the Kakuma Airstrip in Turkana County.
The white Cessna Caravan veered off the runway.
Turkana County Police Commander Samwel Ndanyi confirmed the aircraft had eight people and two pilots, with no VIP onboard.
Mr Ndanyi said no casualties were reported, adding that the passengers were evacuated by helicopter to Lodwar, their intended destination.
“There is no cause for alarm as we have deployed officers from the Kakuma Police Station [to guard the plane] until a new tyre is brought,” he said.
The incident drew a huge crowd of Azimio supporters who had attended a rally led by the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition presidential candidate in Kakuma.
https://nation.africa/kenya/counties/turkana/tyre-of-aircraft-in-raila-s-entourage-bursts-at-kakuma-3886648
Adding Kigame on ballot will cost additional Sh1 billion, Chebukati
The electoral agency has appealed against a High Court ruling that quashed its decision to bar gospel singer Reuben Kigame from contesting the presidency.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) argues that the move could jeopardise the holding of presidential elections on August 9, barely 19 days from today.
IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati says the move could cost the agency at least Sh971 million in printing new ballot papers and rescheduling freight, money that it doesn’t have in its polls budget.
“The cost of printing new ballot papers and rescheduling freight is not less than eight … million euros (about Sh971million). This amount is not in the Commission’s election budget,” Mr Chebukati said in a statement Wednesday.
Read: It will cost extra Sh1bn to include Kigame on ballot papers, IEBC says
Fact checks on inaccurate claims made by Karua, Gachagua during debate
Following the deputy presidential debate series, the Kenya Editors Guild fact-checking desk looked into whether the claims made by the four candidates for Deputy President in the July 19 debates were accurate.
Martha Karua’s claim: “The expenditure on operations and maintenance, O+M is over Sh600 billion while salaries are at about Sh550 billion. You can see operations and maintenance overshooting salaries.”
According to the controller of budget, “operations and maintenance” refers to recurrent expenditure that includes travel (both domestic and foreign), printing and advertising, rentals and rates, non-residential training, hospitality, maintenance expenses for motor vehicles and other assets, legal fees and other expenses.
This expenditure is available for both the national government and the county governments for the 2021 financial year on the website of the controller of budget.
For the latest financial year available, operations and maintenance stood at Sh324.6 billion, while salaries were at Sh600 billion.
Ms Karua overstated the amount spent on operations and maintenance, and understated salaries by Sh160 billion.
Ms Karua’s claim: “…our Constitution dictates that we adopt a social-economic market economy where social justice is at the forefront. That is why article 57 … article 46, not 47, talks of social-economic rights…”
Article 46 of the Constitution states: “to defend, promote, develop and pursue consumer rights as guided by Article 46 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the Consumer Protection Act, 2012 and the Competition Act, Cap 504 and make it possible for the consumers to get value for money.”
The Bill of Rights in the Kenyan Constitution provides for enjoyment of economic and social rights under Article 43 on six sectors which include health, adequate food and of acceptable quality, housing, clean and safe water, social security and education.
Rigathi Gachagua's claim: “We are inheriting six million young people who have no jobs.”
Dr Jacob Omolo, a senior lecturer in the Department of Applied Economics at Kenyatta University, said the number quoted by Mr Gachagua is larger than the actual situation.
“Whether we use the labour force cohorts of a youth that is 15-34 years or the constitutional definition of a youth from the age of 18, the number is way less than what he claimed.”
He added: “The data from the 2019 Kenya population and housing census puts the total number of unemployed, irrespective of age, at 2.7 million.
“Even with whatever growth rate in the country, there is no way we could hit six million unemployed youth.”
Read: Deputy President Debates Fact-Checks: Karua’s claim on salaries vs expenses
I will give half of my cabinet slots to the Muslim community – Igathe
If elected Nairobi governor, Jubilee candidate Polycarp Igathe will give half of his cabinet slots to the Muslim community.
Mr Igathe said this yesterday when he addressed the community at the Sir Ali Muslim Club on Ring Road in Nairobi. He added that he intended to empower Muslims and work with them as equal partners.
This is part of his strategy to woo the 600,000 members of the community in his bid to succeed Governor Ann Kananu.
He also pledged to ensure that imams and madrassa teachers across the county are empowered while also creating an enabling environment for Muslims.
