Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua addresses members of county assemblies from five counties in the central region at his Sagana residence in Nyeri County on April 21, 2023. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI
In February 2023, President William Ruto cut back government spending by Sh 14 billion in its mini-budget for the current financial year ending June 2023.
The Business Daily reported that President Ruto’s intention was to bring the country back to sanity and limit external borrowing and reduce the country’s budget.
It would appear, however, that his move to cut back on unnecessary spending in government, his deputy, Honorable Rigathi Gachagua’s office intends on spending money on luxury items for him. In a public tender notice floated earlier this week, seafood, steam baths, saunas, and fresh flowers were among the items listed in the tender as he called for applicants.
Below is a list of some of the specialized services Deputy Rigathi Gachagua needs:
- Specialized cleaning services
- Fumigation and pest control services
- Supply and maintenance of fresh flowers, flower pots, floral arrangements and related items
- Swimming pool and water treatment services
- Provision of steam bath, sauna and related equipment
- Provision of maintenance for kitchen equipment, cold rooms and related infrastructure
In the Provision of catering goods and services, DP Gachagua’s office floated a tender for the supply and delivery of fresh fruit, supply of poultry, fish and sea food, beef, pork, lamb and goat; as well as for the supply of soda, bottled water, milk and dairy products and outside catering services.
This tender attracted divided opinions among Kenyans for being tone deaf in the face of Kenyans enduring the runaway high cost of living.
“Bash kuruka pale annex. Unalipa tax ya weave ndio mtu amezoea mtura akule seafood 😂😂😂 (Partying non stop at Annex (DP Gachagua’s offices). You pay taxes for weaves so that someone who always eats animal intestines can now eat sea food),” said Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
A section of Kenyans were of the opinion that the government was heavily taxing Kenyans to cushion and pamper the political elite as some warned each other that more taxes were yet to be announced.
“We found an empty treasury and depleted economy. There is no money..Pesa ziko ni zao kula na kuzurura (The money that is there is for them to eat without thinking twice),” said David Ndi in relation to the Kenya Kwanza government’s past allegation that the former regime had plundered the National Treasury coffers and there was no money left for them to run government business.
Also read: Sewing teacher in viral photo speaks after Mike Sonko’s generous donations offer to young student
