• Cotu said such a move will automatically lead to increased prices on consumer products.
• This they said will also lead to increased transport costs where workers will bear the extra costs in fares and fueling of their vehicles.
Image: WILFRED NYANGARESI
The Central Organization of Trade Unions has strongly condemned the move by EPRA to increase prices for petroleum products at a time many Kenyans are facing harsh economic times.
In a statement released on Monday, Cotu stated that it is outrageous and insensitive for the authority to allow for increases of up to Sh8.19, Sh5.51 and Sh5.32 per litre for Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene respectively when such a move will automatically lead to increased prices on consumer products.
This they said will also lead to increased transport costs where workers will bear the extra costs in fares and fueling of their vehicles.
"Cotu views this move by the Authority as an affront to workers and Kenyans as a whole and demand for the Energy Ministry's immediate intervention in the matter to avoid any imminent confrontation that the government is likely to attract from workers and the rest of the Kenyans," Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli said.
He added that Kenyans have endured enough pain trying to make ends meet and put food on the table since the advent of Covid-19 in March last year and any attempts similar to the ones being brought by EPRA will only but catalyze an already provoked people to come out and demand government protection.
"Ordinary Kenyans are suffering. Workers are suffering too. They can't afford to pay for their fares to their workplaces.
"Businesses have equally been hit hard and as social partners, we are putting in all we can to remain afloat yet the Authority comes up with such exorbitant increases to an already overburdened people," he said.
Cotu said this is a form of impunity that as workers we will not entertain and call on the President himself to immediately address these concerns because effective tomorrow, prices on basic commodities will go up as fares will in order to cushion players in these sectors.
Cotu is afraid that cartels have since taken over the oil industry and unless deliberate efforts are made to reverse this trend that has now become the hallmark of EPRA, businesses will close, workers will lose their livelihoods and more and more Kenyans will further be confined into abject poverty and Kenyans will simply run out of options.
"We are staring at a future we as leaders will not be able to manage owing to its uncertainty that is being prompted by such actions that are pushing more and more Kenyans into pain and unless the President himself comes out and offer hope, it might be hard to convince the millions affected that they have a future in this country," he concluded.
Motorists in Nairobi and different parts of the country have since last week on Thursday rushed to re-fill their tanks and reserves ahead of Friday's review of pump prices.
EPRA is expected to announce new prices for the next month, starting February 15 to March 14.
The panic buying comes with anticipation that prices will jump by Sh8.70 for a litre of petrol, Sh7.30 for diesel while a litre of Kerosene is said to likely jump by Sh5.4.