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Ruto to Raila: Prove oil deal was a scam

Azimio leader Raila Odinga had termed the deal as a scam

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by Magdalene Saya

News19 November 2023 - 11:41
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In Summary


  • •But Ruto has maintained that the oil deal was the best and above board, noting that other countries in the region are now looking for the same deal 
  • •He called on Raila to stop peddling lies, saying even the oil marketers themselves had confirmed that what was done is the best for Kenya
President William Ruto speaking when he presided over the inauguration of the Pending Bills Verification Committee at State House in Nairobi on November 7, 2023.

President William Ruto has challenged Azimio to come out with evidence and prove that the government-to-government oil deal was a scam.

Speaking on Sunday during a church sermon in Bomet, Ruto said he runs a transparent government, noting that the oil deal between Kenya Saudi Arabia and UAE was above board.

This comes after the Azimio leader Raila Odinga this week termed the deal as a scam and called on the government to make public the contracts signed between the parties.

But Ruto has maintained that the oil deal was the best and above board, noting that other countries in the region such as Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda are now looking for the same deal which Kenya already has.

“I want to challenge the opposition, instead of telling us to prove that it is not a scam, let them prove to us that it is a scam,” Ruto said.

He called on Raila to stop peddling lies, saying even the oil marketers themselves had confirmed that what was done was the best for Kenya, for every citizen and the best for all the stakeholders.

Ruto said the contracts are in the public domain and called on the legislators from the opposition wing to go through the documents and interrogate them where necessary.

“I am running a transparent government; all those contracts are available in Parliament. Stop saying you want the contracts, the contracts are public domain, there is no secret contract anywhere,” Ruto said.

“MPs from both the government and opposition are in Parliament, they can go look the at the contracts and interrogate, they will know we are running an administration that is above board and that looks for the best interests of the republic of Kenya.”

Raila on Thursday poked holes into the Government to Government (G to G) oil deal signed between Kenya, Saudi Arabia and the UAE for the supply of oil to Kenya on favourable terms.

Raila said the deal had failed to address the intended issues noting that the cost of oil has not come down since the deal was signed.

“Well, the deal was a scam for which we now demand full disclosure and full accountability. It is corrupt and rotten to the core,” Raila said.

President Ruto's government opted for government-to-government oil supply contracts in March this year after the shilling tumbled to record lows.

But Raila raised concern that instead, land-locked countries that depend on Kenya for oil are abandoning the pipeline because it has become too expensive.

According to the opposition chief, the deal is shrouded in deep secrecy with only two documents having been made public to date.

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