As many as 232,000 Kenyans have signed a petition as of April 4 to demand that the International Monetary Fund withholds its $2.34 Billion 3-year loan scheduled for Kenya.
Citizens of the East-African nation disclosed that pevious loans to its government have not been properly utilized and resulted in corruption scandals and as such, the IMF should do the right thing and withhold the funds until the next government resumes next year.
References were made to the president’s former remarks that an estimated $18.6 million is stolen from government purse strings on a daily basis. See below –
“Even those talking about the cost of a referendum, I don’t know where they are getting those figures from…we are waiting for the signatures to be verified then take the process to the counties… these people don’t mislead the public that Ksh.2billion will be spent, yet what they steal everyday is more than Ksh.2 billion. These people are useless, and I will say it openly, how much do they spend every year? My interest is that more resources revert to the people at the grassroots,” said Kenyatta.
Kenya’s public debt currently stands as 73% of its gross domestic product. The government’s spokesperson has refused to comment on the allegations, but the IMF has in a statement disclosed that some austerity measures will be put in place to ensure the funds are spent transparently.