Piece by: BRIAN ORUTA

23 June 2024

• In a statement released at midnight on Saturday, Mwaura mentioned that there was a lot of misinformation during the discussion.

Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura has criticized the organizers of the 'Where’s Crazy Nairobian’ X space for not allowing government representatives to respond to some of the issues raised.

The daylong X space, which called for the release of blogger Billy Simani, alias Crazy Nairobian, also served as a platform for Kenyans to voice concerns about the contentious Finance Bill, 2024.

Mwaura acknowledged that while the organizers had good intentions, they should have given the government a chance to speak. He emphasized that the Kenya Kwanza government is committed to accountability, but state officials present in the space were not allowed to participate.

“We are listening, that’s why I was there for five hours. There were other people like Aaron Cheruiyot and others. We were there, we listened, even though we were not given a chance to speak. I don’t want to attribute improper motives to those who were organizing.

“How do you organize a forum and then not want to hear from the other side, even if it’s out of anger? There is a way you must listen to the other side of the story so that you are informed,” the government spokesman said.

In a statement released at midnight on Saturday, Mwaura mentioned that there was a lot of misinformation during the discussion. He stressed the importance of allowing government officials to speak to correct any inaccuracies.

“There was a lot of lying in that debate, to be very sincere. I listened to a lot of lies, disinformation, and misinformation. Some of the taxes that caused tension in the country were removed because we listened as a government.

“For instance, the 16 per cent VAT on bread, which would have increased the price by at least Sh10, is not there because we understand that bread is a daily staple.”

Mwaura also noted that the proposal to increase mobile money transfer fees by 5 per cent was dropped. He explained that the eco-levy is intended to support local manufacturing. Additionally, the motor vehicle tax and VAT on cooking oil have been removed from the bill.