Africa
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Kenya
CS John Mbadi pledges loyalty to President Ruto
Bahati shalom
Dec 17, 2024
CS John Mbadi(right) pledges loyalty to President Ruto(left)
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has reiterated his loyalty to President William Ruto, acknowledging the trust the President placed in him by appointing him to a crucial role.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Ndhiwa Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) grounds in Homa Bay County, Mbadi emphasized the significance of the Finance Ministry, describing the President's decision to appoint him as a major vote of confidence.
“The President can give you any ministry but not the Ministry of Finance. The kind of confidence and the risk that he (Ruto) took to appoint me makes it very difficult for me to betray him,” Mbadi said.
Mbadi said his focus is on achieving results rather than engaging in political debates.
“And therefore, mine is not to force people and chest thump that President Ruto should get another term. We are not in that debate as at now,” he added.
He underlined his commitment to addressing financial challenges and ensuring things improve before any discussions about political campaigns.
“What I want is to work for him (Ruto), to make things that are not working work. Once we have corrected and made things work, we will come and tell Kenyans that we want you to give us another opportunity to continue working,” he explained.
Mbadi highlighted several achievements under his leadership, particularly in reducing Kenya's budget deficit and stabilizing the national currency.
“When I took over as the CS for Finance, there were challenges in this country. These challenges were better but were not as bad as when the last regime left office when the budget of Kenya to GDP was 8.1 per cent. As we speak, we are reducing it to 4.3 per cent and next year it will be 3.8 per cent and in the next two years the budget deficit must be below 3 per cent,” he noted.
He also spoke about the improved stability of the Kenyan shilling, which previously traded at Sh160 against the US dollar but is now at Sh129.
Additionally, Mbadi mentioned that government borrowing has decreased by 1.5 per cent since he assumed office, reflecting ongoing efforts to strengthen the economy.
