Nairobi, Kenya, April 7- A man has been arrested outside the Treasury building while shouting and protesting the high cost of living ahead of the national budget reading.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani is scheduled to issue the 2022/23 budget statement on Thursday at 3 pm.
“I am ready to die for my freedom, I am ready to die for people, I am ready to die for justice. We want food, we are hungry,” the youthful man shouted as he was dragged by security agents who were manning the building.
He also complained how poor people in the country were suffering because of the tough economic conditions in the country.
His sentiments resonate with majority of Kenyans who have decried the prices of basic commodities such as milk, cooking oil, fuel, sugar and maize flour which have shot up in recent months.
While the government has blamed the situation on the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kenyans have attributed the situation to poor governance and corruption.
Ahead of the budget reading, experts have urged the government to increase allocation to agriculture sector in order to ease the increase in food prices.
The budget which is President Uhuru Kenyatta’s last one before he leaves office is estimated to be Sh3.3 trillion excluding debt redemptions, an increase of 200 million from the current financial year.
Ordinary revenue which comes from corporate taxes, VAT is expected to grow by 300 billion from 1.8 to 2.1 trillion.
Ken Gichinga, the Chief economist at Mentoria economics, urged the Treasury to focus on a policy shift towards local production and especially the agricultural sector which he said is a key driver of the economy.
In the current financial year, the Government allocated Sh60 billion to the agriculture sector
“I expect the CS to reflect on the high cost of living, especially food and fuel prices, this should trigger local production in order to boost food sufficiency,” he said.
He listed land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship as the key factors which the Government should concentrate on in order to increase agriculture production.
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