Piece by: JAMES MBAKA

14 May 2023

• Responding to questions that his office including State House are spending on non essentials at the expense of suffering Kenyans.

• He faced questions on why State House had increased its budget by over Sh8 billion while the government delayed salaries to civil servants.

President William Ruto on Sunday defended his executive decisions saying he is not hurting hustlers.

Ruto said the proposed Sh3.6 trillion budget for the next financial year is tailored to benefit the hustlers in the country.

Responding to questions that his office including State House is spending on non-essentials at the expense of suffering Kenyans, the President said he is conscious of his decisions.

He faced questions on why the State House had increased its budget by over Sh8 billion while the government delayed salaries to civil servants.

"I don't talk about the hustlers only but all Kenyans, this budget is for hustlers," the President said.

Saying the last administration failed Kenyans through subsidies, Ruto said his administration has invested in production to help hustlers.

"I have put Sh3 and half billion on fertiliser to help small farmers and we have over 4 and a half million farmers registered across the country and they all got fertiliser without discrimination," he said.

''We have extended our land by 200,000 acres of farming, majority of the farmers are hustlers," he said.