Kenya has been experiencing fuel shortage since late March to better part of April, a crisis which been manifestation of the vestiges of conflict of interest and state capture of all sectors of the economy.
Deputy President Dr. William Ruto who is the Kenya Kwanza’s presidential flag bearer has repeatedly challenged the State to find a permanent solution by crushing cartels and barons behind the crisis.
The government had blamed fuel shortage on oil marketing firms refusing sell to smaller retailers or selling to them at high cost leaving them with no margin to make profits.
But DP Ruto challenged the government to unmask oil marketers who have benefited from the fuel subsidy as he revealed that some of the funds meant for the programme had been diverted.
The UDA leader was categorical that the hiked fuel prices are unprecedented and are not due to ordinary market responses to global crude oil price dynamics.
He also challenged the government and the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy to come clean about the whereabouts of Petroleum Development Fund’s Sh39 billion which should bankroll the fuel subsidy programme.
“This is the result of collusion between monopolistic cartels and economic saboteurs on one hand and oblivious, reckless, insensitive and incompetent public officials on the other,” The DP said.
Ruto further accused the State of misplacing its priorities by diverting the funds meant for fuel subsidy to debt servicing and infrastructure development without the parliament’s approval.
And when it seemed that Kenyans were being taken rounds with the crisis deepening, he challenged the Ministry of Energy to list the import quotas that have been allocated to specific oil marketers over the past one year.
“The Petroleum Products (Taxes and Levies (Amendment) Bill, 2021), whose passage has been frustrated, should be processed in parliament as a matter of national emergency to help address the fuel crisis,” Ruto said.
The pressure he built by constantly poking holes on the government response to the crisis bore fruits when the Energy acting CS Dr. Monica Juma on April 28 directed oil marketers to localize excess stock.
Juma’s move was also meant to assure Kenyans of sufficient stocks of both petroleum and diesel after media reports that another artificial crisis was looming.
But fearing exposure and scathing attacks by the Deputy President, Dr. Juma was forced to reach a deal with the oil marketers who eventually agreed to sell to smaller retailers to avert another fuel crisis.
