Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka has castigated President William Ruto’s proposal to introduce tolls on major roads in the republic, calling it barbaric and an act of desperation.
Speaking today at a press conference, accompanied by his DAP-K party colleague Eugene Wamalwa, Jubilee secretary General Jeremiah Kioni and a section of MPs, Kalonzo stated that the proposal suggested by President Ruto’s administration is aimed at draining people’s pockets, who are already burdened by the taxes introduced by his administration.
“We know that they are desperate and want more taxes from citizens by introducing tolls on major roads. I would like to tell Ruto and his people to go build their own roads if they want to introduce tolls. Let him not introduce tolls on roads he never built, such as Thika Superhighway, which was built for citizens to access tea farms and other areas. We shall not accept this, and even if he tries to introduce it through members of Parliament, we shall call them out,” said Kalonzo.
Initially, there was a proposal by the government to introduce tolls on major highways such as Thika Superhighway, Rironi Road, and Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, among others.
This proposal, however, received sharp criticism from members of the opposition and other activists, who stated that this was a wrong decision because Kenyan taxes were already used to build the roads, and therefore citizens must be allowed to use them free of charge.