President William Ruto has warned government officials resisting key reforms to either embrace change or vacate office, insisting his administration will not bow to sabotage. Speaking on Sunday at the Kenya Medical Training College grounds in Siaya County during a service at St Peter’s ACK Cathedral, Ruto declared that the transition to the Electronic Government Procurement (eGP) system was non-negotiable.
“On e-procurement, there are a lot of people used to mischievous conduct. We have said that we will have e-procurement so that we can know how much something was bought for and sold at,” he said. The Head of State claimed some officials were sponsoring negative media reports to undermine the system, linking it to inflated spending. He dismissed the claims, warning those opposed to the reform to “bolt out of government and look for another job.”
The President also defended the Social Health Authority (SHA) system, which has faced criticism from hospitals and other stakeholders. He said the platform was exposing fraudulent claims, with verification of Ksh30 billion in hospital bills revealing attempts to defraud taxpayers. “We will not pay corrupt claims. We will track you, apprehend you, and take you to court because we must be accountable to the people of Kenya,” Ruto affirmed.
Alongside his tough stance, Ruto unveiled a basket of development projects for Siaya County. He announced that the Kenya Ports Authority would construct a pier at Usenge and conduct a feasibility study for another at Asembo. Road projects received a major boost, with government allocation rising from Ksh500 million to Ksh4 billion.
The Kenya Defence Forces will from September 8 begin upgrading Siaya Stadium and expanding the County Referral Hospital, where bed capacity will be increased. The two projects are budgeted at Ksh500 million. Additionally, Ruto revealed that 8,000 affordable housing units worth Ksh22 billion would be developed across major towns in the county.
The Head of State further disclosed plans to revive Dominion Farms’ irrigation and rice project in partnership with investors. To crown his visit, he donated Ksh20 million towards the construction of St Peter’s ACK Cathedral.
