President-elect William Ruto vows to crack down on cartels as Rigathi Gachagua invites Uhuru to swearing in

Ahead of his swearing in on Tuesday, September 13, President-elect William Ruto has pledged that he will begin fighting the cartels that have found their way into government as soon as he puts the Bible down after his swearing in.

Ruto who was speaking during a church service in Maua, Meru County on Sunday, September 11 asserted that his first priority will be bringing down the cost of living by rolling out several measures and dismantling cartels.

“Leave the cartels to me. Once I put the Bible down after being sworn in, I am coming for them. If you know any of them, alert them.

"I want to warn those cartels that immediately I am done with the swearing-in, I will crack the whip on them, whether they are out brothers or friends," Ruto stated.

President-elect William Ruto and other leaders during an interdenominational church service at Maua Stadium, Meru County Pulse Live Kenya

The incoming President-elect explained that he has engaged with the Ministry of Agriculture and has a clear plan to lower the high cost of maize flour.

"Over the last four days I have held meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture on how we can reduce the cost of maize flour. Farmers have been buying fertilizers at Ksh6,000 per bag.

"In the week beginning Monday, I will announce the new cost of fertilizers so that we enable maize farmers to increase their produce. This will help lower the cost of flour, not just maize but also for all cereals," Ruto stated.

Regarding the country’s debt situation, the president-elect explained that he will inculcate a culture of saving and focus on payment of taxes to run government operations.

"They informed me that with the current debt situation, we may have no option but to keep borrowing. But I believe that we can recover our economy and the only way to do that is through inculcating a saving culture.

“Taxes is what will take this country forward and I will be the first to pay taxes so that the rest can follow me” Ruto explained.

Cushioning tax payers and Gachagua's invite to Uhuru

He added that he will ensure that tax payers are not overburdened further even as the government creates reserves.

"I have spoken to the taxman on how we can create such a reserve without straining Kenyans further financially or hurting their businesses," he stated.