Don’t criticise Ruto’s administration using falsehoods, Kindiki tells Uhuru

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki Saturday urged critics of Kenya Kwanza programmes to be honest in their assessments, saying the government’s flagship Social Health Authority (SHA) offers wider coverage than previous schemes.

Speaking in Dadaab Town, Garissa County, Prof Kindiki dismissed comparisons between SHA and the Jubilee-era Linda Mama programme, arguing that critics missed the broader vision.

“This government of William Ruto has really tried, my friends. Those who want to criticise it should go ahead, but let them be truthful and not spread lies. The Linda Mamaprogram, which used to take care of expectant mothers, we have expanded it through the Social Health Authority. Now it protects mothers, it protects the elderly, it protects the youth, and it also protects children. We now call it Linda Jamii,” said Kindiki.

Speaking during the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference on Friday, former President Uhuru Kenyatta faulted the Kenya Kwanza government for what he termed “untested and untried experiments” that were hurting Kenyans.

“Today, many of the gains of the past have been eroded. Linda Mama and others have been replaced by new, untried and untested schemes. While we wait for these experiments to work, Kenyans suffer and our progress is dragged,” Uhuru said in his address.

Kindiki also called on residents of northern Kenya to support the administration, saying the region is now benefitting from heavy public investment after years of neglect.

He highlighted the 750-kilometre Isiolo–Mandera Highway, which he described as the country’s longest road project since independence. Once complete, it will ease mobility, reduce commodity prices, open up economic activity and strengthen security.

The Deputy President also pointed to ongoing tarmacking of the 370-kilometre Lamu–Ijara–Garissa–Isiolo Road and the planned Garissa–Dadaab–Liboi–Harhar corridor, which will link Kenya to Somalia. Other projects include construction of the Tana River Bridge in Garissa Town and electricity connections to 7,200 households in Garissa County, with 3,700 in Dadaab constituency.

Prof Kindiki further lauded the reopening of the Garissa immigration office after a decade-long closure, saying it would ease access to government documents for residents of North Eastern Kenya.

He criticised the vetting process that previously complicated issuance of identification documents in the region. “If vetting will apply, then it has to be across the whole country, not just to some sections,” he said.