Gachagua criticises government over workers’ plight as Ruto defends economic reforms
Gachagua said there was nothing to celebrate as the country marked 60 years of honouring workers, describing the occasion as one marred by “unspeakable pain, anguish, and utter frustration.”
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has blasted the Kenya Kwanza administration for neglecting the plight of workers, accusing the government of subjecting Kenyans to untold suffering and financial hardship.
In his Labour Day message on Thursday, Gachagua said there was nothing to celebrate as the country marked 60 years of honouring workers, describing the occasion as one marred by “unspeakable pain, anguish, and utter frustration.”
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“We know no Kenyan worker is happy,” Gachagua said, accusing the government of depleting workers’ payslips through over-taxation and mismanagement, while engaging in extravagant travel and political mobilisation at the expense of ordinary citizens.
“The payslip has been raided for uncouth cause, the cost of living skyrockets unbearably and zero money in circulation,” he said.
Despite the grim picture, the ex-DP sought to offer hope to Kenyan workers, assuring them that change was on the way.
“My message to the Kenyan workers as we mark Labour Day is that as they struggle to make ends meet, they should take comfort that this situation is not permanent,” he said.
He further pledged to continue fighting for economic reforms aimed at restoring financial dignity to the working class.
“I assure you that we are a team of patriotic men and women not sleeping, working on strategies to do away with misery, pain, and indignation; we shall restore the dignity of the payslip. God willing, we shall get there,” he said.
Meanwhile, President William Ruto has defended his administration, noting that some of his decisions may be unpopular but are necessary for Kenya’s long-term development.
Speaking during the 60th Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, Ruto said his leadership style is focused on difficult but progressive choices aimed at transforming the nation’s economic future.
“I want to promise the people of Kenya that I will always make the right decision to make sure that Kenya makes progress because I owe it to Kenyans to make the right decisions,” Ruto said.
“Sometimes they might not be popular, but they are the right decisions that will change the destiny of our country. I am very confident in the future of our country.”
He highlighted that since assuming office in 2022, Kenya has grown to become the sixth-largest economy in Africa, a milestone he attributed to his administration’s bold policy shifts.
He reaffirmed his commitment to stay the course, stating that he would not be distracted from working to grow the economy, even if it means making tough calls.
“We want to build a strong, democratic, united, prosperous nation that all of us can live in and be proud of. And it’s going to be a product of the decisions that we make. We cannot be prosperous if we don’t make the right decisions,” he said.
The President anchored his vision on the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which focuses on five pillars: agriculture, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), universal healthcare, affordable housing, and the digital and creative economy.
He added that these pillars were crafted to improve livelihoods and will be supported by the upcoming 2025 Finance Bill, which he described as a tool to “stimulate economic growth, deliver efficiency, enhance competitiveness and expand opportunity.”
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