‘Ruto is not a tourist’ – Gachagua hits out criticm on President’s foreighn trips
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua stated that President William Ruto’s travels are not driven by tourism but by his commitment to improving Kenya through work-related endeavors.
Gachagua emphasized that in the upcoming year, the Kenya Kwanza administration will demonstrate the positive outcomes of each trip taken by President Ruto and himself to benefit the country.
“Niliona kuna watu wanapiga kelele ati Rais anatembea, Rais si mtalii, anaenda kufanya kazi na hivi karibuni tukianza Januari 2024 tutaweza kutangazia wakenya kwa kila safari Rais ametembea manufaa yake ni nini kwa jamhuri ya Kenya,” he said.
This loosely translates to, “I saw people making noise that the President travels a lot. The President is not a tourist, he travels for work and very soon, at the beginning of January 2024, we will announce to Kenyans the benefits of each trip the President has made to the republic of Kenya.”
The Vice President clarified that the reason for overseas travels is the insufficient revenue generated from local taxes, which falls short of meeting the country’s requirements.
Consequently, they engage with international associates to explore markets for Kenyan goods and attract investors capable of establishing enterprises that can generate employment opportunities for the youth.
Additionally, these trips aim to identify job opportunities for Kenyan citizens in foreign countries.
“Na tunaendelea kutembea nje kwa sababu ile kodi tunaokota haitoshi mahitaji yetu kama taifa. Kwa hivyo lazima tukae na marafiki zetu nje ya Kenya kusaidiana kutafuta soko ya mazao yetu, kutafuta wawekezaji wakuje Kenya kufanya biashara ndio vijana wapate kazi. Pia tuko na maneno ya kutafuta kazi pale nje na hivi karibuni mtaona matunda yake.”
(We will continue travelling because the tax we collect is not enough for the needs of the nation. So, we have to sit with our friends outside Kenya to help us find markets for our produce, looking for investors to come to do business to create jobs for our youth and we are also looking for jobs abroad).
