Ruto calls for vigilance from Parliament, county assemblies
Deputy President William Ruto has called on Parliament and county assemblies to remain vigilant and steadfast in their mandate of budgeting and passage of necessary legislation.
Speaking during the virtual conference on Covid-19 bringing together the national and county governments, Ruto said it is through the timely response by the Legislature that both national and county governments were able to respond efficiently and effectively through budget approval and passing of required legislation.
“I, however, urge them to remain vigilant and steadfast in their mandate,” Ruto who has been critical on how Covid-19 funds have been utilised said during the zoom address which was however cut short due to a technical hitch.
The DP also hailed development partners for the unceasing support and flexibility that has seen resources previously allocated to other sectors quickly redirected into providing the much-needed support towards strengthening the health care infrastructure in the country during the pandemic.
Ruto, who has been conspicuously absent in previous meetings between President Uhuru Kenyatta and governors over the Covid-19 pandemic thanked social institutions including churches, local administration, Non-governmental organization for the role they have played by among others disseminating information as well as providing direct support to the most vulnerable.
“Their work is a testimony of what we can achieve when we work together. These institutions have been on the forefront in disseminating which is key towards passing information, especially to those affected disproportionately by the pandemic” said Ruto.
He however noted that despite the gains made, Covid-19 still presents an uncertain future for not just Kenya but the world at large, saying that it will call on Kenyans to think futuristically and begin to put in place mechanism that will as much as possible enable Kenyans to adopt to the new normal with as minimal disruption to their way of life as possible.
“This means that a reactive approach towards addressing such public health challenges is not sustainable.
There are skills; technologies; resources and materials needed to effectively mitigate against such threats and emergencies,” he said.
Ruto said the pandemic had taught Kenyans the need to improve the health sector adding that the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) would come in handy in this aspect.
He said there was need for the country to come up with targeted interventions to cushion the economy from shocks and enormous effects of “this extra-ordinary devastating global tragedy.”
“These interventions must be aimed at giving impetus to the economy and ensuring the security of jobs as well as provide some certainty for both employees and their employers,” said the DP.
