‘Six months not enough, we need 2 years’: Mudavadi tells Kenyans to brace for tough economic times

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi now says the country is unlikely to resolve the prevailing tough economic times within the short period the Kenya Kwanza government had projected when taking over power.

Speaking on Friday during the opening of an entrepreneurship conference held at ACK St. Marks church in Westlands, Mudavadi urged Kenyans to fasten their belts in preparation to handle tough times ahead since the ruling administration may take about two and half years to revive the economy.

“We are facing difficult times but do not be cheated that we can get out of those difficult times in six months. I did say that we must brace ourselves for some hard times and it could take us two, two and a half years to see the downturn," he said.

Mudavadi said the government will work towards creating jobs for the youth to help them cope with the hard economic times in the coming days after Members of Parliament passed the controversial Finance Bill, 2023.

“As the government, creation of jobs through enterprise remains our top priority as a means to enhance people's buying power to cope with the high cost of living dynamics. Our immediate agenda is to create a favourable environment,” explained the Prime CS.

Safaricom’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer Cynthia Kamau, who also spoke at the event, addressed the rising issue of unemployment with this year’s rate rising by 3 per cent.

She also added that 98 per cent of businesses in Kenya are MSMEs but they contribute approximately 3 per cent to the economy due to the lack of knowledge on how to grow the businesses.