Ruto claims Sh15B was spent to renovate Uhuru Gardens

Presidential candidate William Ruto has revealed that the government used Sh15Billion to renovate the newly commissioned Uhuru Gardens museum.

The Kenya Kwanza nominee made the revelation while taking part in the presidential debate at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) on Tuesday, July 26.

The Deputy President made the statement while answering a question in regards to the national debt. In his response, Dr Ruto stated that debt had risen to colossal levels due to the government’s implementation of projects not budgeted for.

“Our physical deficit indicates we have many projects not budgeted for, like Uhuru Gardens Museum. We spend close to Sh15 billion on such,” stated the leader of United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

When asked on how he plans to reduce the gross public debt which in February this year crossed the Sh8 trillion, he said that will prevent the running of projects that are not budgeted for.

“I believe its reckless for anybody to say we cannot pay our debts. There is room to raise additional funds to handle our debt without necessarily going to renegotiate our debts. We are living beyond our means and we should stop this borrowing spree,” he said.

President Uhuru Kenyatta launches Uhuru Gardens

The revelation comes only days after President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the refurbished the national monument on July 25.

The facility holds historical and cultural artefacts, memorabilia and audio-visual stories from the events that birthed and shaped the nation’s destiny.

He said the facility will also keep on updating the Kenyan history, pointing out that all communities including those that are not indigenous will have their history recorded and stored in the facility.

“We have now Kenyans of Makonde ancestry from Mozambique. They are part of us now. They also need to be reflected here. We have people who came from Rwanda in the early sixties. They are now part of us,” said President Kenyatta.

Chief of Defence Forces General Robert Kibochi, who is also the chairman of the steering committee of the project, said his team is planning to bring back some of the Kenya’s artefacts held in foreign countries once the legal framework has been put in place.