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President William Ruto has received a backlash from a section of netizens and opposition leaders for recently re-launching a project that he had launched in 2018 during his tenure as deputy president.

NARC Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua criticized President Ruto for relaunching the construction of the 55-kilometer road in Nyandarua, and termed the action as “deceptive”

“Nothing can excuse the deceptive launching of an already launched project,” she said on Friday.

“If at all it was in good faith, the second launch should have acknowledged an initial unveiling of the project in 2018 when Ruto was Deputy President.

“Nothing can excuse the deceptive launching of an already launched project,” she said on Friday.

Statehouse however defended the second launch of the Captain-Ndemi/Wanjohi-Kwa Matu-Geta-Kahuruko-Ndunyu Njeru Road saying the project had deliberately been “denied funding by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration to embarrass Ruto”.

According to State House Spokesperson Hussein, Mohammed said the 55-kilometre Road was denied funding to frustrate Ruto’s bid for the presidency after Kenyatta settled on Odinga as his preferred candidate.

Hussein further added that several other projects Ruto launched when he was Deputy President were deliberately denied funding despite having been budgeted for.

“During last year’s election campaigns, President Ruto promised to complete all stalled projects, including roads. During the ‘Handshake’ (2018-2022), many projects he launched were deliberately denied funding even though they were in the government’s programme,” he said.

“This was to frustrate then the Deputy President and his bid for the presidency. Today, it’s evident that the architects of these schemes that they thought would frustrate President Ruto, ultimately hurt the people, the economy and Kenya.”

“The President will “clean up the mess” and complete all stalled projects before embarking on new ones,” Hussein said.

Below are some of the Reactions from Netizens

@bryson_ometo: Hussein, You can only launch something once. If you have to do a make over you call it a relaunch. Y’all just lied to Kenyans and thought no one would notice. Sad seeing you become part of the problem.

@AfricanLpodcast: Ruto is just opening Uhuru projects all over , remember the Uhuru he said did nothing, just look at our Highway infrastructure, that is Uhuru. Ruto does not seem to have a legacy project except praying and campaigning. Kibaki and Uhuru had their legacy projects 

@abiladawkins: Would it have been a crime, punishable by death if the said funds that were deliberately denied were just released? Was the relaunch necessary?

@nicmaina: I think you guys didn’t think Kenyans would notice but they did. We see through all the lies by the way