Ruto: Uhuru's Sh4bn gun factory was wrong investment

Deputy President William Ruto on Thursday questioned the economic benefit of the firearms factory established by President Uhuru Kenyatta's government in Kiambu County.

He pointed out that in the last four decades, the nation's economic model has been fatally flawed, questioning why Kenya has opted to stay on the same path.

Ruto said the financial resources used to set up and run the firm would have been better used if they had been invested in a clothing factory.

"We have recently inaugurated a firearms factory that cost Sh4 billion and celebrated the fact that it will create 100 or so jobs. This works out to an investment of Sh40 million per job."

"In the same country, the County Government of Kitui established a garment factory with a capacity for 600 jobs at a cost of Sh168 million, Sh280,000 per job. The Sh4 billion gun factory investment is the equivalent of 24 Kitui garment factories and 14,000 jobs," Ruto added.

In April 2021, Uhuru opened the arms factory, which produces up to 12,000 rifles per year.

Uhuru said that locally manufacturing the rifles would lower the cost used by the nation's security agencies to acquire the weapons.

He also said that it was in a bid to help provide jobs for the youth.

While launching his manifesto, the UDA presidential candidate said it is unfair to continue postponing the clarion calls for an inclusive, job-creating economic model.

"Bottom-up economics is about investing the limited capital available where it will create the most jobs - at the bottom of the pyramid," he said.

This means Kenya Kwanza is committed to investing Sh500 billion, if they win the top office, over the next five years in smallholder agriculture and the informal sector.

"Financial commitment is absolutely necessary, but far from sufficient.  It also means a commitment to end exclusion and criminalization of livelihoods, and level playing field for all investors big and small."