President William Ruto has addressed the controversy surrounding the expenses of his recent trip to the United States, emphasizing that the reported costs have been exaggerated. He clarified that he has significantly reduced the funding for his office and various government agencies to better allocate resources to essential sectors.
“I think the expenditure on my trip is completely exaggerated. They are actually bordering on ridiculous. I am very careful about the resources that I spend. In fact, I have cut down on funding to my office. I have cut down on funding to different government agencies. I have reduced by 30% recurrent expenditure in this budget so that we can accommodate, we can live within our means as I have said, and we can push more resources to the realm of development, to the realm of education, to providing help and doing the things that matter, including cash transfers to citizens. So I am very careful about how the government spends,” Ruto stated.
When pressed for specific figures regarding the trip’s expenditure, Ruto declined to provide an exact amount, insisting that the reported numbers were untrue and exaggerated.
“There are people who will answer those questions, but I can tell you from where I sit, that the numbers being bandied around are ridiculous, to say the least,” he added.
For the past week, President Ruto has faced criticism for allegedly chartering a Boeing 737-700 business jet at a cost of Ksh200 million instead of using the traditional presidential jet. Critics have accused him of inconsistency, highlighting the financial challenges the country is currently facing.
