• Tax regime they said is fuelling pump prices.
• Ruto had on Sunday said the government has no role in determining fuel prices.
Image: PCS
A section of MPs allied to Azimio leader Raila Odinga have faulted the President over claims the government has no role in reducing the cost of fuel.
According to the lawmakers, the government plays a significant role in fixing the prices. They accused President William Ruto of trying to dupe Kenyans.
Opposition lawmakers John Mbadi and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi said the Kenya Kwanza administration cannot run away from the skyrocketing pump prices insisting that the situation has been fuelled by the current tax regime.
In an interview with local television stations on Sunday, the head of state said the government has no control of the fuel prices.
He said pump prices are dictated by external factors and the blame should be taken off him.
“The price of fuel is not determined by the Government of Kenya, it is determined by the producers. That is why today the price of fuel in Kenya is the same in Uganda, in Tanzania because we buy from the same place,” Ruto said.
He said there is work that the President can do and that which he cannot.
The President also assured Kenyans that the cost of fuel will gradually decrease as the government is committed to lowering the cost of living.
“When I came into office, people were queuing in petrol stations for fuel, now nobody is queuing in any petrol station, we have continuous supply. Half the fuel companies had closed down, today every company has fuel,” he said.
ODM chairman Mbadi said there are several unnecessary taxes and levies imposed on fuel products and which are responsible for the high prices.
“It is incorrect to say that the government has no role. The government can do a lot in bringing the fuel prices down,” Mbadi said.
“At a time when the fuel was retailing at Sh211, VAT alone constituted Sh30 then there are other taxes, apart from taxes there is also the levies - Railway Development levy, Petroleum development Levy - if we reduce the levies the price of fuel will be very low.”
Osotsi insisted that the government cannot run away for its role in making the lives of Kenyans unbearable through taxes on petroleum products.
“The government cannot run away from this to claim they have no role, they have every role. If he wants to know it has a role in fuel in fixing of prices then he should remove VAT from fuel and see the changes that will happen in the process of fuel,” the senator said on the phone.
Osotsi also faulted the President for implementing the affordable housing without getting Parliament approval.
He was responding to Ruto’s remarks that the government has already channelled the billion so far raised from housing levy deductions to the construction of affordable units.
According to the President, the government has been collecting on average Sh6 billion on the housing levy.
He explained that the money is already constructing houses in the current 33 active sites across the country.