Kileleshwa Member of County Assembly (MCA) Robert Alai has called on President William Ruto to reduce the tax burden on Kenyans.
In a statement on Monday, September 18, 2023, Alai urged Ruto to reduce value-added tax (VAT) from the current 16 per cent to eight per cent.
The MCA has also called on the President to reduce by half the income tax that employed Kenyans have been paying to the government. He has also urged the government to wipe out a majority of taxes on fuel.
"Ruto should reduce VAT to eight per cent, and even halve the income tax. Remove three-quarters of taxes on fuel price," he stated.
Alai on KDF recruitment
Reacting to reports that over 7,000 youths thronged Embakasi Garrison grounds in Nairobi seeking to be recruited into the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), Alai attributed it to joblessness and desperation.
While KDF is seeking to recruit 350 officers, thousands of jobless youths showed up for the recruitment exercise.
In videos shared widely on social media, hordes of people are seen in the Embakasi Garrison grounds with some spilling across the main highway on the Eastern Bypass.
Reports indicate some of the young people who turned up were not graduates of the NYS but jobless youths seeking to change their fortunes amid the unemployment crisis in the country.
"It’s not that young people are desperate to join KDF. It’s that the desperation and joblessness has increased. The government has made life so expensive but not many opportunities," Alai added.
Alai on CS Eliud Owalo
The MCA has also called on President Ruto to sack ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo and instead hire a person well-versed in the ICT sector in order to transform the sector and offer more opportunities to the youth.
"Sack Eliud Owalo. Get someone who understands the ICT industry. Then build digital villages," he added.
