Address countrys cash crunch or resign, Uhuru told

Two Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders on Saturday asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to address the financial crisis in the country or step aside.

Addressing the press at Rareida during the funeral of Mzee Henry Odio Tuju, father to Raphael Tuju, Siaya County Senator James Orengo and Rarieda Member of Parliament Nicholas Gumbo said the president should hand over the reins of power, as he seems unable to perform in the role.

Orengo said the President Kenyatta should not delegate the role of speaking about the country’s financial crisis as Kenyans expect a long-term solution from him, saying that he should state the exact financial status of the country.

“The financial crisis in the country has paralyzed all key institutions, more reason why the president must act in time,” he said.

The senator also added that they don’t want the country to go back to the era when a delegation was sent to Washington to look for funds to support the country’s economy every time.

“The Euro bond that the Jubilee Government left out of the economy would have helped deal with the financial crisis if the money had been brought to Kenya”, Orengo noted.

He cautioned that if President Kenyatta upholds his silence on the issue then Kenyans would conclude that he does not care.

On his part, Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo echoed Orengo’s sentiments saying President Kenyatta should not allow the country to live beyond its means as it causes pressure on the shilling.

Gumbo added that the government would need to tame its excessive expenditure so as to save the economy.

Said he, “there is too much financial wastage by the government on trips by executives which do not benefit Kenyans in any way.”

The instability of the shilling has also affected the country’s balance of payments in regards to the country’s foreign debt obligations.

The Rarieda MP said the volatility in the interest rate market and the expenditure of the government needs to be tamed.

He noted that the time had come to conduct a benefit analysis on how Kenyans are benefiting from the overseas trips being made by government officials and Members of Parliament.