President William Ruto’s government has raised petrol prices, forcing former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM to do the unimaginable.
This comes as Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga recommended an indefinite suspension of Parliament until lawmakers find long-term answers to the country’s soaring fuel prices.
Chonga, speaking at the National Assembly yesterday, urged members to pause all sessions and motions scheduled for debate in order to focus on the price spike, which has increased the cost of life.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) MP agreed that the increase in fuel costs might be attributable to global demand and the supply chain, but said that recent fuel taxes exacerbated the situation. One of the taxes he mentioned was the doubling of the Value Added Tax on gasoline from 8% to 16%.
“It is against this background that I seek for the adjournment of this house to discuss this matter of urgent measure of importance with a view to find a sustainable solution to the ever-increasing fuel prices,” the member for Kilifi South said.
Laying claims that fuel costs do not correspond to customer purchasing power, Chonga cautioned that consumers were struggling to make ends meet, and that the 40% tax on fuel exacerbated the situation.
Chonga anticipates that his demand will be joined by other calls for long-term action on gasoline rises since the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA)’s previous review on Thursday, September 14.
EPRA raised the price of Super Petrol to a record high of Ksh211.64 per litre, diesel to Ksh200.99, and kerosene to Ksh202.61 for the period September 15 to October 14.
According to the authorities, the cost increased due to an increase in the total landing cost of petroleum goods.
Prior to this assessment, the government protected Kenyans from growing costs through Petroleum Development Levy subsidies.
