Raila: Uhuru Kenyatta and Ruto using State funds to campaign

President Kenyatta has dished out close to Sh1 billion and promised to sink another Sh6.3 billion into various projects and payouts over the last three weeks, raising questions over the use of public resources for political campaigns.

This came as National Super Alliance (Nasa) flag-bearer Raila Odinga urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to take action against the President for using state resources in campaigns for his re-election.

The question of use of public resources was further compounded by the Law Society of Kenya’s demand for investigations into reports that Energy Principal Secretary Joseph Njoroge and Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner-General John Njiraini took part in last Friday’s fundraiser dinner for President Kenyatta.

BLURRED LINES

In his campaigns, President Kenyatta  has also ordered waiving of Sh1.2 billion fees to landowners in Trans Nzoia County and commissioned the Sh500 million ultra-modern milk production unit at the New KCC in Eldoret, further blurring the line between a government initiating development projects and using taxpayers’ money to fund its political campaigns.

The frequency with which President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto have dished out millions of shillings to various projects has intensified over the past three weeks coinciding with the official political campaigns period which kicked off on May 28.

On that day, the government announced that it had released Sh5 billion for free primary education.

PUT UP STRUCTURES

A few days later, President Kenyatta announced that the government had set aside Sh5 billion in its next financial budget to put up infrastructures in all secondary schools around the country as well as catering for free secondary education.

Last week, he handed out cheques worth Sh828 million to resettle thousands of people who were displaced during the 2007/2008 post-election violence in Kisii and Nyamira counties, drawing condemnation from the Opposition for using public funds to solicit votes.

Come Saturday, and President Kenyatta declared that the government would also release Sh1 billion to compensate landowners in the Kerio Valley who were affected by fluorspar mining.

PAY CANE FARMERS

On Sunday, the President headed to Bungoma County, seen as an opposition bastion, and promised that the government would release Sh300 million to pay cane farmers contracted to the Nzoia Sugar Company.

Speaking on Tuesday during the National Elections Conference in Nairobi, Mr Odinga accused the IEBC of failing to take action as the President uses taxpayers’ money to woo voters.

“We have seen a worrying inability by the IEBC to enforce the Electoral Code of Conduct. We have seen the government using its record in office and public funded projects as campaign tools for Jubilee.

We have seen Cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries, who are paid by taxpayers, deployed to campaign for the Jubilee Party,” he said.

CONTRIBUTE MONEY

The former Prime Minister also charged that reports had indicated that State corporations were being asked to contribute money towards Jubilee’s election campaigns.

On Thursday and Friday, the presidency unleashed a total of 13 Cabinet secretaries and two principal secretaries in synchronised radio interviews where they went full throttle to explain what the government had delivered in their various dockets.

“The engagements were not politically motivated and therefore not a party campaign,” Deputy Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita told the Nation in an e-mail response.