Thursday, September 14, 2023 –Trade Cabinet Secretary CS Moses Kuria has, for the second time, missed an important United States Trade tour led by President William Ruto.
Instead, Former Trade and Industrialization CS in Uhuru Kenyatta regime Adan Mohammed now serving in the capacity of Presidential Economic Advisor alongside David Ndii, shared a photo from the U.S in which Kuria was conspicuously missing.
The official shared the images on his socials following a successful meeting he held in the U.S.A with counterparts from there.
“Leading the Kenya Delegation to the US- Africa Trade & Investment Roundtable in Chicago, USA,” Adan noted.
Instead, Kuria was seen being hosted on Citizen Tv night show where he was tasked by Sam Gituku to explain the skyrocketing cost of living in the country.
Agitated Kuria argued that the cost of living was fairer as compared to last year when Uhuru Kenyatta was still in power.
“I wish your figures were factual. You pride yourselves that your TV is the most watched in the country, so don’t forget that somebody is watching you from a supermarket, so be careful.
“Cooking oil is much lower than what you project there, and Kenyans know that. You’ve said correctly that the price has come down, but it’s not even to the level you have said. It is by 50% since we came to government,” he told the host Sam Gituku.
He would immediately be taken through a live spot-check from Eldoret Naivas Supermarket where a standby Citizen reporter John Wanyama proved him otherwise live on air.
It started when Mr. Kuria disputed Citizen Tv ‘s cooking oil price of around sh 340 saying it currently retails at around sh 230, and so Sam Gituku went live at Naivas Supermarket to prove him wrong.
Angered, CS Kuria resorted to name calling as he linked the media house to Azimio politics hellbent to dragging the current administration down.
“That is why your Azimio lost. I can see you are busy inciting Kenyans on this but we are not relenting,” he was heard telling Gituku.
Over the U.S.A meeting, this is not the first time the outspoken CS has missed a key trade event, as on July 19, Kuria was absent in a trade deliberation between Kenya and the U.S where Katherine Tai, US Trade Representative, was leading a delegation from the North American country.
At a press briefing following the talks, Ms Tai told journalists to find out why Kuria was not part of the meeting, leading to speculations that the CS’s past reckless remarks had contributed to this.
He has, however, remained determined to duty as he continuously engages other foreign missions in local trade deals that he announces on his Twitter handle, regularly.
He was speaking this as part of a Cabinet team that appeared during a joint Royal Media Services production dubbed ‘The Big Conversation’ covering President William Ruto’s achievements and failures one year in office.