President William Ruto chose to conceal the amount of funding the nation received from China during his most recent visit to the Asian nation, according to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Ruto visited China last month in search of a $1 billion (Ksh151 billion) loan to finish road development projects that had reached a standstill.
Speaking at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Dallas, Embu County, Gachagua, the Head of State expressed concern that the media might exaggerate the situation.
“Every blocked road in Embu County, including the Ring Road, will be finished. We received financing while the President was just out of the country, Gachagua said.
He went on, “We don’t want to disclose how much because the media follows us constantly and when we say something, they expose us, forcing donors to stop supporting us.”
Although the precise sum was unknown, Gachagua claimed it was sufficient to complete unfinished projects all over the nation.
In order to ensure that the infrastructure projects were completed on schedule, the DP also stated that contractors will shortly commence work on them.
Prior to the present undisclosed loan, 64% of Kenya’s Ksh10.5 trillion in debt was owed to China.
The majority of the funds were borrowed to fund various infrastructure projects, including the Ksh324 billion Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), under the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Following his inauguration in September 2022, President William Ruto declared that his administration would not embark on new road construction prior to completing current ones.
“I want to state that the national government will not build any new roads until all incomplete roads are fully upgraded,” he said at the time.
