As the Finance Act, 2021 comes into effect, the common mwananchi is opting for more affordable cooking fuel with no alternative.
The reintroduced Value Added Tax on liquefied petroleum gas has seen 13 kg cooking gas retail at Sh2,350 from normal Sh2,000.
It was initially affordable to both low, middle and high income earners, but now the low-income ones who live from hand to mouth cannot afford it.
As if that is not enough telco service providers such as Safaricom, Telkom, Airtel, and Faiba have bowed down to increased excise duty of 20 per cent meaning higher call rates, data and SMS to reflect the change.
Does this mean the MPs have left the common mwananchi whom they represent in Parliament at the hands of a biting, harsh economy?
Of course, we all know the alternatives for LPG gas is the use of wood to curb the high cost of living.
When the MPs were voting to pass the budget, did they put Mother Nature in their hearts or they were serving their own interests?
This is because deforestation will be the order of the day for charcoal and firewood which will cost less and we all know the environmental hazards that come with it.
We shift the blame to MPs for failing to stand with Wanjiku but are ready to stand with bills that serve their interests such as the BBI, their salaries and allowances.
Let common mwananchi stand up and advocate for what they think is fit for them for sustainable living.
The leaders we vote for are out there serving their interests and looking for strategies to retain their seats. We are on our own!
Lumbasi is a media student at Egerton University and blogger
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
