Everyone guilty of Shakahola deaths will be punished - Ruto

Ruto said those responsible for the events leading to the Shakahola massacre will be held personally liable for the deaths.

"We have taken the decision that we will deal with individuals that abuse the sanctity of faith as we do other criminals. They will not be left out," he said

"We will get to the bottom of it. Give a little time to our security agencies to help us unravel this act and shame the people who want to abuse the sanctity of religion and cause loss of life in the name of religion."

He however cautioned against blanket condemnation of churches and the clergy, saying it is wrong to condemn the church simply because of the activities of a few people.

Although the president steered clear of the Finance Bill 2023, Kiharu MP Ndidi Nyoro urged him not to back down "because it is the best hope for a better future".

Nyoro said Kenyans will only see the importance of taxation in a few years, citing how other nations are doing better than Kenya to due taxations.

"It's easy for a president to please a country in that we may not have to pay taxes or do much but what is the state of countries in that situation. Just sit and compare the countries with low taxations and their standards of life," said Nyoro.

On subsidies, Nyoro said the Ruto administration was still paying billions of shillings on behalf of the previous government.

"The subsidy you hear that was there in terms of oil and unga, I can confirm is being paid by Ruto and this administration. The enjoyment was then and the payment is now," he said

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta introduced fuel subsidy to cushion Kenyans from high cost of living in a programme that ran between October 2021 and September 2022.

"They will appreciate your decisions in two years. Make the hard choice of tightening our belts now for us to have stability in future."