A section of Kenyans intruded a meeting held by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva raising concerns over Kenyans appetite for loans.
Kristalina had hosted Costa Rican diplomat Christiana Figueres on Thursday evening, April 22, 2021. They discussed climate change and the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland in November.
They also celebrated Earth Day which is commemorated on April 22.
"Over 100 countries realise that climate is crucial and the risks can affect their finances. They understood that we can create green energy and that we as the IMF can help them create policies and a better understanding of climate risks," Kristalina stated.
23 minutes into the meeting, Kenyans intruded, urging and warning Kristalina against issuing the government with loans, instead collaborate in the fight against climate change.
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Through the hashtag "Stop Loaning Kenya" irate Kenyans urged international lenders to refrain from loaning money to Kenya. They argued that it is negatively affecting our economy.
"Stop lending money to a corrupt Kenyan government. We are already neck-deep in debt and billions are lining the pockets of greedy politicians," David Mutua pleaded.
"Are you sure the loans are used for the intended purposes? Service providers and contractors are never paid their dues on time," Okulo Jogoo added.
Kristalina avoided being dragged into the matter, stating that the interview had ended because it had exhausted its allocated time.
For the better part of the month of April, Kenyans have taken to their social media pages to warn IMF against giving Kenya loans.
Though the loan was still disbursed, IMF issued a series of stringent demands to ensure the money is not lost to graft.
Kenya is currently set to borrow a Ksh124 billion Eurobond loan and a Ksh82 billion loan from the World Bank by the end of July 2021.
Kenya's debt currently stands at Ksh6.69 billion and poised to rise to 9.37 trillion by mid-2023.
