Wednesday, October 4, 2023 – The fuel hike by President William Ruto’s government has forced former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM to do the unthinkable.
This is after Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga proposed the indefinite adjournment of Parliament until lawmakers find lasting solutions to the skyrocketing fuel prices bedevilling the country.
Speaking at the National Assembly yesterday, Chonga called on the legislators to halt all sessions and motions lined up for discussion to pay attention to the price hike, which raised the cost of living.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) MP acknowledged that the hike in fuel prices may be attributed to global demand and supply chain but argued that recent taxes on fuel further propelled the prices. One of the taxes he referred to was the doubling of the Value Added Tax on fuel from 8 to 16 per cent.
“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 Kilifi South MP agitated.
Laying claims that the fuel cost doesn’t match the purchasing power of consumers, Chonga warned that consumers were struggling to make ends meet and the 40% taxation on fuel worsens the situation.
Chonga believes that his demand will join other calls for sustainable action towards fuel hikes since the last review by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on Thursday, September 14.
EPRA increased the cost of Super Petrol to a record high of Ksh211.64, diesel to Ksh200.99, and kerosene to ksh202.61 per litre for the period between September 15 and October 14.
The authority explained that the cost increased due to the spike in the total landing cost of petroleum products.
Prior to this review, the government cushioned Kenyans against the rising costs through subsidies from the Petroleum Development Levy.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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