Ruto: Election should not hinder development

Deputy President William Ruto has said the 2017 General Election should not hinder development.

“There is a government now and there will be a government after the elections. We do not want to make the election a crisis because it is not. It should not disrupt the development agenda,” he said.

The DP said: “That is why the National Treasury prepared early for us not to create a crisis. We must finalise all our programmes”.

He was speaking at Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Wednesday when he launched the sector working groups for the financial year 2017/18 and Medium Term Budget.

“Even as we prepare the budget for 2017, we must focus on priorities for this year and ensure they are honoured. We should not abandon last year’s projects,” he said.

The DP said procurement laws had been reformed and the bureaucracy that hindered accounting officers from quickly implementing programmes was no longer an excuse to delay projects.

“Cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries’ hands are no longer tied by bureaucracy. Accounting officers must now ensure programmes move forward in time,” he said.

Mr Ruto cautioned them against procuring funds and locking them in banks.

“We have seen in the past where some officers requisition funds and then lock the money in the bank. This must end. Kenyans want to see projects that serve them,” he said.