At the High Table with President William Ruto

On Sunday evening, the country was glued to TV screens for a 2-hour panel interview with Commander-in-Chief, President William Ruto, in relation to the anti-Finance Bill protests that have marred the country for two weeks now.

Behind the scenes, Our Journalists, were preparing for an after-show exclusive interview with the Head of State in the company of other digital media journalists, the future of the industry.  In the resultant roundtable talk lasting one and a half hours, President William Ruto discussed a myriad of topics among them his use of private choppers, the IEBC constitution, and Kenyan youth unemployment rates, affecting even his children.

Use of Private Choppers & Rigathi's helicopters

Ruto dismissed rumours that his deputy Rigathi Gachagua was frustrated in terms of logistical support.

The president explained that he had made available two police choppers for his deputy, dismissing rumours that the DP was barred from using military choppers.

Ruto further revealed that in some instances, like on Saturday and Sunday, he (Ruto) is forced to fly with private choppers if military helicopters are deployed for other duties.

What Ruto Said: "I made sure that my deputy, whenever he needs transport and it is available, he is facilitated. In fact, what I have done, I have even repaired and made available two police choppers, the same size as mine, that I use from the military for the Deputy President to use, and in fact, some of the time he uses the choppers that I use."

"Because these choppers are actually used for military work, sometimes they are not available like yesterday. So I took private transport to where I was going. Today, I took private transport to come back... I am very clear in my mind that my deputy should be treated with respect and I have done that," he added.

Joining X (formerly Twitter) Space

After forcing the government to drop Finance Bill 2024 in its entirety, Gen Z protesters demanded the Head of State join them on X space, which he agreed to during yesterday's interview.

Ruto revealed that he will be ready to join a conversation on Thursday or Friday this week.

What He Said: "I hear the young people are saying they don’t want a multisectoral forum. Maybe we should have an engagement with the President on X. I’m open to having an engagement with the young people on a forum they are comfortable with. If they want me to engage with them on X, I will be there."

"Tell me who among you is going to set up the X Space and either Thursday or Friday, I will be there. I want us to discuss taxation, unemployment, corruption, and all issues," he added.

Scrapping First Lady's Office, Trimming Ministries

In the televised interview version, the Head of State announced that the Office of the First Lady and that of the Second Lady will seize receiving funding from the national budget effective this Financial Year, beginning today.

He further explains that plans were in high gear to trim staff at State House and in his office as well as dial down budgets in Ministries and Counties.

What Ruto Said: "I know citizens have said there is no need for the office of the first lady and second lady but these are offices that have been there but because we have to live within our means, those offices from tomorrow will not be part of our equation because in the face of what has happened, we have to trim down every other area."

"I will not lie to the country that putting down the Finance Bill is going to be easy. I have to be brutally honest and those consequences must start with me.  To cut down the budget in my office and to implement an austerity programme that will cut down on unnecessary staff and offices that we can take down. I am ready to even engage the young people for us to agree on what we do with the debt."

Unemployment, Including his Children

The Head of State noted that his administration was working to address the rising cases of youth unemployment in the country.

In what seemed to affect his own children, the Head of State explained that he had concluded some job deals abroad to secure employment for the 4.5 million affected Kenyans.

What Ruto Said: "Youth unemployment is something we must resolve. You Kenyans out of school out of college including my own children they speak to me, and they have no opportunities to work or to monetise their talents."

"We just finished an agreement with Germany on how we will get more young people to be employed in Germany. These are the things that resonated with young people during the campaigns and I am doing them," he added.

No Blood on His Hands

President William Ruto explained that he had no blood on his hands and estimated property damage at Ksh2.4 billion while reiterating that only 19 people have lost their lives so far.

What Ruto Said: I have no blood in my hands. 19 people to the record that I have from the security agencies are dead. Very unfortunate. As a democracy, that should not be part of our conversation. 2.4 billion of the property had been destroyed. The office of the Chief Justice has been burnt. City Hall has been burnt. Parliament has been burnt."

Outside Looking In: The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) stood its ground indicating that according to its records, the number of fatalities was 24 as of Sunday. Today, they have risen to 26

Nairobi Youth Business Community, on the other hand, differed with the President on the value of the damaged property, estimating it at Ksh3 billion. Several Kenyans are likely to lose their jobs after the protests.

On Borrowing

Ruto said the dropping of the Finance Bill 2024 posed serious ramifications with regards to financing the budget requiring the government to resort to borrowing. The government now needs Ksh1 trillion to bridge the deficit.

What Ruto Said: "We have dropped the Finance Bill. What does that mean? It means we have gone back almost 2 years. It means that this year we are going to borrow Ksh 1 trillion shillings to be able to run our government. Dropping the finance bill means we will not confirm the JSS teachers, it means we cannot support our farmers, it means we will continue to import potatoes from Europe."