A new argument has erupted in East Africa over the recent claim by William Ruto that Kenya is more advanced than its neighbors both in terms of economic level and roads.
Speaking recently, Ruto stated that Kenya has more tarmac road network than the entire East African Community combined, describing the country as the only middle-income country in East Africa.
This assertion has been rebuffed by Tanzania with immediate effect. Abdallah Hamis Ulega, Tanzania’s minister of works, criticized Ruto’s assertions and called for Tanzania not to be ignored from the list of middle-income countries.
“It should be known, Tanzania is too a middle-income nation, we are two in East Africa, Tanzania and kenya,” Ulega said.
The infrastructure argument also received a response as Ulega asserted that Tanzania has a network of over 16,000 km of tarmac roads, which counters the claim that Kenya has more roads than all its neighbors combined.
This is the second consecutive year a direct exchange has been made between two of the biggest economies in East Africa that many regard as rivals in terms of infrastructure and development.
This assertion by Ruto came as he was justifying high fuel prices in the country as the East African nation had a more advanced economy.
However, his counter part Abdallah Ulega has shifted back the narrative to include data, where Tanzania is the second middle-income nation in East Africa with over 16,000 km of paved road network.
This war of words has now spilled to the internet as Kenyans and Tanzanians continue to battle out road network coverage in their countries, economic status and other development issues.
