President William Ruto has been asked to sack one of his cabinet secretaries for ‘laughing’ at Kenyans over the rising cost of living instead of informing them how the Kenya Kwanza government will ease their burden.
Tom Oyugi, an aspiring politician from Nakuru, now wants the president to take action against Trade CS Moses Kuria and economist David Ndii, who chairs the president’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA).
“It is wrong for some leaders to say that food commodities in some parts of the country are being sold at a cheaper price when Kenyans can’t afford a three-course meal in a day,” Oyugi told the media.
Oyugi, who has declared his interest in the Nakuru West parliamentary seat in the 2027 elections, says all Kenyans should be able to enjoy affordable goods across the country and that Kuria is wrong to claim that some products are cheaper in some parts of the country.
Also read: Moses Kuria declares he is ‘firmly in charge’ with Ruto, Gachagua out of the country
He appealed to President Ruto to consider reintroducing fuel subsidies as was done under his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.
“It is bad enough that the cost of living is high, but having government officials arrogantly mocking the suffering majority from their air-conditioned offices paid by the same poor citizens is the highest level of contempt”.”
Also, the youthful leader has said that with the introduction of new taxes and the expected increase in VAT, most Kenyans working in struggling companies will face it rough.
His remarks come as the fuel prices in the country hit the Sh200 mark following the recent review of petroleum products prices by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
As it stands, Super Petrol is now retailing at Sh211 in Nairobi, Diesel at Sh201 and Kerosene at Sh202, a situation which has forced the Matatu Owners Association to review fare prices upwards.
According to Trade CS, Kenya is not the only country reviewing its fuel prices upwards, it is a global issue that might worsen by next year.
“I repeat. Petrol will be Sh260 by February. And El Nino is coming in 3 weeks and will last till March. These are global and climate change driven. Responsible leaders ought to tell the truth to prepare the people. You can throw stones at me all you want,” Kuria said through a post on X.
In another post he explained, “August fuel stocks will land in October. The cost is well known, and its scientific. September shipments will land in November. Costs are also known. From there, we move to Winter in the US and expected stock piles. And then the bilateral arrangements between Saudis and Russia on the one side, China and India on the other hand, plus ongoing oil cuts. As Minister responsible for the Private Sector, mine is to advise business based on science, not truthful voodoo.” BY NAIROBI NEWS
