NAIEOBI, Kenya- Businessman and Safina Party Leader Jimi Wanjigi has launched a fresh attack on President William Ruto’s administration, warning that Kenya’s worsening economic crisis goes far beyond politics and leadership change.
Speaking during a live interview on Citizen TV on the country’s debt burden and economic direction, Wanjigi claimed the government was borrowing nearly Sh5 billion daily to sustain recurrent expenditure, describing the situation as unsustainable.
“The reality is that William Ruto will go, but this problem does not go with him,” Wanjigi said.
According to the Safina Party leader, Kenya’s economic crisis has reached dangerous levels, with debt repayment consuming nearly all government revenue.
“William Ruto is facing nothing else in the next election; it is him versus the economy,” he stated.
Wanjigi accused successive governments of mismanaging public finances and allowing debt repayment obligations to spiral out of control.
He compared previous administrations, saying former President Daniel arap Moi used about 30 per cent of government revenue for debt repayment, while former President Mwai Kibaki reduced the debt burden significantly during his tenure.
According to Wanjigi, the situation worsened under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, with debt repayment reportedly consuming 65 per cent of government revenue by the time he left office.
“Now, where we are this year, 92 shillings of every 100 is going to the payment of debt. We are dying,” he claimed.
The businessman further alleged that Kenya had become a country “run by thieves,” accusing political leaders of enriching themselves while ordinary Kenyans continue suffering under economic pressure.
“What you are currently seeing is people building lifeboats for themselves because they know the ship has sunk,” he said.
Wanjigi also questioned the legality of some of Kenya’s public debt, arguing that certain loans were acquired without proper parliamentary approval.
“We should not pay our debt. It is not only logical, but it is the only way we don’t die,” he argued, describing some loans as “odious debt.”
His remarks come at a time when Kenyans are grappling with rising taxes, soaring fuel prices and growing public frustration over the cost of living.
