Following the recent increase in fuel prices, the Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has criticised the government for exploiting motorists, describing the new prices as unjustified.
In a statement dated July 17, the association expressed dismay at the government's decision to take this step, despite global oil prices remaining below $70 per barrel.
"This abrupt hike price of Super Petrol by Kes 8.99 & Diesel 8.67 per litre on both petrol and diesel by the Ministry of Energy through the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) caught motorists completely by surprise and left us shocked and lost for words," the statement read.
"When world prices were dropping, EPRA reduced local prices by a paltry one shilling, insulting the millions of motorists who already sustain this government through oppressive taxation. Today, half the cost of fuel is made up of taxes, which is economically destructive and morally wrong."
In response to the price hike and other issues, motorists made a series of demands, including a return to a free market system where pump prices are determined by genuine world market forces and healthy competition among suppliers.
They also called for the reintroduction of the Open Tender System (OTS), which enabled the procurement of oil from the most affordable suppliers and guaranteed fair downstream distribution at the lowest possible price.
"If these demands are not met, motorists will have no choice but to pursue peaceful protests and court action to defend our right to fair, transparent, and affordable fuel pricing," the statement read.
Besides the fuel hike, MAK further listed several other policies that they claimed had led to the detriment of the industry, including the deliberate increase in oil marketers’ margins at the expense of the motoring public.
It also faulted EPRA and the Energy Ministry for failing to protect motorists from adulterated fuel, claiming that when such dealers are caught, they are merely fined, yet no reparations are issued to the owners of damaged motor vehicles.
"Worse still, fuel on the Kenyan leading marketers has been found to have lower octane levels, further compromising vehicle performance and safety," the statement read.
As such, they demanded proper compensation for motorists whose vehicles have been damaged by adulterated fuel.
Following a recent exposé by the former chair of the National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, Ndindi Nyoro, that the government used the Fuel Levy as security for a secret Ksh175 billion loan, the motorists also decried policy changes in the industry without public participation or proper parliamentary oversight.
The association further called out the opaqueness of some policies like the government-to-government oil import deal meant to make fuel cheaper, which they said remains shrouded in secrecy. We still don’t know the real beneficiaries of these opaque deals.
It thus demanded immediate transparency, accountability, and reversal of the fuel price increase.
Although these policies affected Kenyans mostly, they further claimed that when the Tanzanian energy regulator visited Kenya for benchmarking, they went back and immediately increased fuel prices by Ksh27 per litre.
