- Azimio further indicted the Ruto regime's failure to institute astute economic policies resulting in the Kenyan shilling losing its value against the US dollar.
- The Opposition enumerated a host of issues it said informed the ranking criteria starting with the escalating cost of living caused by costly basic commodities.
The Opposition Azimio over the weekend released its scorecard of the Kenya Kwanza regime's performance for its first year in office marked on September 13 https://rb.gy/prmkf.
Image: ZIMIO/X
The Opposition Azimio over the weekend released its scorecard of the Kenya Kwanza regime's performance for its first year in office marked on September 13.
The outfit under the leadership of Raila Odinga said President William Ruto's administration performed dismally and awarded it 30 per cent, equivalent to a D- for its initial year in office.
"It's been a grand disaster!" Azimio titled the report card it first released on Friday, September 15.
"It's been a grand disaster, and as Azimio, we have rated the current regime at 30 per cent, equivalent to a D-, for their initial year in office," Raila said.
The Opposition enumerated a host of issues it said informed the ranking criteria starting with the escalating cost of living caused by costly basic commodities.
Azimio said the Kenya Kwanza government has tactfully masked this "harsh fact" with "oratory" and "extravagant claims that we are beating our quiet neighbours in every aspect".
"The cost of every item that is basic to life has gone up. In the last one year, the following have happened."
"The price of one kilogram of sugar has gone up 61 per cent. The price of one kilogram of loose maize flour has gone up by 9.6 per cent. Rent for a single room rose by 2.8 per cent," Azimio said.
It added that the price of a 2kg packet of fortified unga has gone up by 8.1 per cent while 5.50 kilowatts of electricity has gone up by 68.7 per cent.
The outfit further claimed that 200 kilowatts of electricity have gone up by 48.8 per cent while a litre of kerosene has risen by 31.1 per cent.
Over the same 12-month period, Azimio said the price of a litre of diesel went up by 28.0 per cent while that of petrol went up by 22.1 per cent.
"Given the rise in fuel after last night (Thursday), we estimate that these prices will go up by up to 70 percent," Azimio said, pointing out that the cost of wines and spirits went up by 9.0 per cent.
Azimio further indicted the Ruto regime's failure to institute astute economic policies resulting in the Kenyan shilling losing its value against the US dollar.
The opposition outfit said the once mighty currency in the region has received "severe beating", shedding a quarter of its value against the US dollar in one year and 20 per cent of its value against the Uganda and Tanzania shillings.
"In August 2022, the shilling was trading at 120 for one US dollar. A year later, the shilling is trading at 150 against one US dollar," Azimio said.
The free fall of the shilling, it said, has made the education of Kenyans abroad expensive and escalated the cost of imports.
Azimio also indicted the Kenya Kwanza administration for ignoring debt distress and going against its pre-campaign pledge of cutting down on borrowing and increasing spending by Sh400 billion.
It accused the Kenya Kwanza government of borrowing "at the astronomical rate of 17 per cent or more, from the domestic market".
This notwithstanding, the government increased taxes at a time when the overall economy has been contracting, the opposition said.
"In the second quarter of 2022, which is the first era of Kenya Kwanza regime leading into 2023, the economy grew by only 5.2 per cent. In a similar period in 2021, it grew by 11.0 per cent," Azimio said.
The ripple effect, Azimio said, has been the closure of micro and small enterprises as interest rates rose through the roof amid heavy taxation.
"Today, six out of ten micro and small businesses are either paying late, paying only a part of their installments or are unable to pay."
Azimio further accused Ruto's government of making farming more expensive for farmers by increasing the cost of diesel fuel. A litre retails at Sh200.99 following the latest price review.
The opposition said no amount of fertiliser subsidy will lower the cost of food production if the cost of fuel is not checked.
"Diesel is one of the highest costs in farming. Even if you give the citizen a bag of fertiliser but make it impossible for her to plough an acre of land you have not solved the problem," Azimio said.
On Education, Azimio held that the Kenya Kwanza regime has neglected the sector through inadequate funding forcing parents to bear the biggest burden.
This even after the sector received Sh628.6 billion, the lion's share of the Sh3.68 trillion 2023-24 budget.
In the first year under Kenya Kwanza, the cost of education has gone up by 225 per cent, but the quality is not guaranteed, Azimio said.
"In public, the Kenya Kwanza administration continues to talk about free education, the reality in our schools and homes across Kenya is that education is no longer free either in primary or secondary schools," Azimio said.
"In some of the schools, the government has disbursed as low as Sh15, 000 for a student population of 400. Some schools received as low as Sh3000."
Implementation of the CBC curriculum is in chaos due to weak leadership, the outfit added.
It said mismanagement coupled with lack of clarity has led to education field officers being verbally instructed to work with PTAs and Boards of management to approve measures to help schools raise funds for their operations.
This, Azimo said, has led to schools increasing school fees.
"As a result of the weak leadership, examination integrity is back as an issue in our education. Implementation of the CBC curriculum is in chaos.
"But more worrying is that parents are being forced to pay more for this chaotic and poor quality education," Azimio said.