Stop using my name to win tenders, Ruto warns brokers

President William Ruto yesterday warned Cabinet Secretaries to expose political brokers using his name to push for favours.

The President said he was aware that there were many wheeler-dealers threatening Cabinet Secretaries and Secretaries using his name to win tenders.

“If anybody comes to you (CSs) and says I have sent them to you or I am a cousin or a brother or a relative of the President and I want this or the other, please don’t believe them. If I want anything I will call you myself,” Ruto told the team.

He added: “All of you have my number and I have one so if someone comes claiming that I have sent them just call me. I don’t want to hear that I did this or that under the instructions of certain individuals acting on my behalf.”

The President made the remarks yesterday at a press briefing during the Second National Executive Retreat in Naivasha.

Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has also been in the news lamenting about people using his name to blackmail and extort CSs and PSs.

Koskei said in a statement recently that the brokers visit government offices pretending they are his agents and demand money, jobs and tenders.

He warned CS and other State officials to be careful when dealing with such requests.
“I call upon the CSs, PSs, and CEOs of State corporations to be wary of these crooks and promptly report them to the appropriate authorities for swift action,” he stated.

Koskei said investigations had been launched to smoke out the cartels that invoke State House to push for favours.

The brokers allege that part of the money they demand are kickbacks to be paid to President William Ruto’s right-hand man.

“The era of criminals taking advantage of gullible Kenyans by misusing names of senior State officials is long gone,” he warned.

Koskei said he had sent a memo to all top government officials asking them to also raise the alarm in their respective departments.

He maintained that the government was committed to dealing with corruption adding all Kenyans would get equal opportunity in accessing government services.

Impersonation of senior government officials has also become common in recent years with some criminal elements creating fake social media pages to swindle Kenyans.

Speaking after chairing the meeting yesterday, Ruto said the government’s management of the economy had positioned the country for growth.

The President said the enforcement of fiscal discipline and implementation of prudent debt management had pulled Kenya away from the brink of debt distress.

He said the country’s finances are in good shape, providing the necessary conditions for the successful implementation of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

“Our economy is on a trajectory that will create more jobs and more wealth, finance investment in public goods and services, and usher this nation into an era of inclusive growth,” he said.

President Ruto said the government had been managing debt liabilities, maintaining a low cost of debt, and ensuring that debt is sustainable at all times.

The President said the government’s turnaround strategy focused on increasing tax revenues and reducing expenditure and debt accumulation.

“Upon assuming office, we committed to bring our economy back on track by taking necessary measures, making necessary choices and outrightly going all out to raise revenues, reduce expenditure, and ensure that we live within our means,” he said.

He said Kenya has successfully settled the buy-back of part of the $2 billion 2014 Eurobond that was to mature on June 24, 2024, by paying $1.5 billion raised last week.

He explained that this had enhanced investor confidence, resulting in the appreciation of the shilling against the US dollar from Sh162 to Sh142.

“In turn, this has reduced our overall debt by Sh722 billion, and our debt service costs by Sh195 billion over the next six years. This has saved the country a total of Sh917 billion,” he said.

Additional indicators of rising investor confidence, he noted, include the performance of the recent issue of the Eurobond, the Infrastructure Bond and increased liquidity in the market.