Githunguri Member of Parliament, Gathoni Wamuchomba, strongly believes the country is heading in the wrong direction, despite President William Ruto’s assurance that his government has stabilized the economy.

The outspoken United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party legislator on Monday, January 29 sustained her criticism of the ruling party, insisting that Ruto had lost touch with the problems facing the country.

Citing the continued depreciation of the Kenyan shilling against the US dollar and the rising cost of living, Wamuchomba suggested that Ruto’s economic plan had hit a snag.

“The Kenyan Currency is on a free fall at 167 against USA dollar. The cost of living is so unbearable, electricity is unbearable, cost of production is unbearable. Is our plan still working at this rate?Tutatenga na kupanga mpaka lini (Until when will we set aside and plan)?” the MP posed in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The Kenyan Currency is on a FREE fall at 167 against USA dollar. The cost of living is so unbearable , electricity is unbearable , Cost of production is unbearable . Is our plan still working at this rate ?Tutatenga na kupanga mpaka lini ?

— Hon.Gathoni Wamuchomba, HSC, MP (@hon_wamuchomba) January 29, 2024

Wamuchomba is among lawmakers in the 13th Parliament who have boldly expressed their reservations about the country’s economic trajectory. She has grown to become a thorn in the flesh of the Kenya Kwanza administration, which she campaigned for about 17 months ago.

She first spoke against the government’s policies in June last year when she dismissed the Finance Bill, 2023, as ‘punitive, oppressive, and scandalous.’ She objected to proposals in the controversial bill to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel to 16 per cent and introduce a housing levy.

“The spirit of the prophet of the Lord is alive. You can slap me, jail me without food or abuse me, but God speaks through his people. The Finance Bill 2023 is punitive, oppressive and scandalous. The ruling class must listen to the cries of its citizenry. That’s democracy,” Wamuchomba said.

The Bill eventually sailed through the House despite opposition from the UDA MP and other like-minded members in the opposition.

In a recent interview with a local TV station, Wamuchomba defended her position on the Finance Bill, saying Ruto had become insensitive to the needs of the common man ‘hustler’ who put the leaders in power.

“When the Finance Bill came and I read it through, I felt that the Kenya Kwanza government was insensitive to the needs of the people that supported him, people who had my story, resonated with my story and gave me votes,” she stated while narrating her humble upbringing.

“I decided to say no to certain things and one of the things that I felt I needed to stand up was the issue of the fuel levy. Having been in the previous 12th Parliament I know what eight per cent did to us, forget about the 16 per cent.”

Ruto, on his part, continues to blame a huge public debt inherited from the previous administration of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta for the country’s economic challenges.

“When I assumed office Kenya’s debt stretched all the way to New York but my government is committed to clearing all the debt,” he told residents of Burri in Meru County during a rally last Thursday.