70% of government revenue is used to service public debt – Gachagua

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua now says 70 per cent of government revenue is used to repay a public debt inherited from retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration.

Speaking during the 92nd Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Graduation Ceremony at Kasarani Stadium on Thursday, December 7, Gachagua insisted that President William Ruto inherited a dilapidated economy from the Jubilee government.

According to Gachagua, President Ruto inherited a Ksh9.6 trillion public debt.

He, however, noted that the Kenya Kwanza administration had managed to “rescue the economy from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)” with what he termed as sound economic policies.

“When I spoke here on September 13, 2022, I said that we found empty coffers; I repeat we found empty coffers and that is the truth. No amount of denial will change that fact. We found the Kenyan economy in ICU,” Gachagua said.

“The patient called the Kenyan economy was on life-supporting machines. The president as the chief surgeon in the theatre of economic recovery struggled in the first six months and got the patient from ICU to High Dependency Unit (HDU). In the next eight months, the president struggled and got the patient called the Kenyan economy from HDU into the general ward. The patient is showing good signs of recovery – all the organs are working.”

The DP called for patience to allow the president implement various measures to stabilise the economy further.

“In the next several months the patient will be discharged to go home and be attending clinics once a month,” Gachagua remarked amid cheers from the crowd.

The country’s second in command further noted that the government was open to constructive criticism from the opposition regarding the country’s economic trajectory.

“Even though there are still issues, we have a couple of things that can be seen. We welcome criticism that is constructive, but we want those critics to be truthful and tell the people of Kenya, where the President found the state of the Kenyan economy,” he added.

At the same time, the deputy president termed today’s graduation of 22,696 healthcare professionals as a pivotal step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the country.

Gachagua’s message to new graduates

He encouraged the new medical professionals who graduated from KMTC on Thursday to explore opportunities abroad.

The DP said that Kenyans are among the most sought-after healthcare providers in the world due to their strong work ethics.

“As you go out to the world, venture into the world with dignity and professionalism. Be professional in your work, and uphold the standards that you’ve learned in this great institution. The people of Kenya have great work ethics.

“As you go out to the world exercise to look for employment outside our borders. One of the most sought areas out there is your profession. Our health providers are desired in large numbers across the world,” DP Gachagua stated.

Gachagua assured the medics that the government would engage world leaders to secure more job opportunities for Kenyan graduates.

According to Gachagua, President Ruto had tasked recently appointed ambassadors to lead the talks.

“As we speak now, our president is meeting the new ambassadors and deputy ambassadors to brief them on their new role in the countries they are going to serve. The president has directed them that one of the critical roles they will play out there is to look for employment opportunities out there,” he added.

Gachagua noted that some of the new graduates will be sent to the United Kingdom and Germany as part of a bilateral agreement on health partnership between Kenya and the two countries.

“Already, we have outstanding requests from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Germany for healthcare providers. I am sure soon most of you will find your way to other countries to go and work there and take care of the world,” Gachagua assured.