The government embarked on a campaign to woo foreign nations to aid it in achieving President William Ruto's pledge to lower the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders.
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary, Davis Chirchir, on Thursday, June 15, announced that the government was looking forward to securing more partnerships during the first African Energy Forum.
"We want to put LPGs on all our homes in the next three years," he reiterated Ruto's promise.
The conference will be held in Nairobi at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) between June 20 and June 23, 2023.
The forum will serve as a catalyst for advancing sustainable energy solutions, fostering partnerships, and shaping the future of Africa's energy landscape.
This year's theme is 'Africa for Africa-Building Energy for the Just Transition'.
Chirchir further lauded Kenya's strides in the energy sector, including wind, geothermal and solar.
On June 15, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna proposed amendments to the VAT Act 2013 to zero-rate liquefied petroleum gas to make it affordable.
"To promote its (LPG) uptake as well as encourage the use of clean sources of energy, I am proposing to the national assembly to zero-rate VAT on LPG," he stated while presenting Kenya Kwanza's first budget for the financial year 2023/24.
He added that the high LPG prices contribute to the escalating cost of living, and the continued use of firewood and charcoal which leads to deforestation.
In May 2023, President William Ruto was criticised for reneging on his promise to lower the price of gas cylinders to between Ksh300 and Ksh500 for a 6-kilogram barrel.
In a joint media interview, the President claimed that he would actualise the promise later in the year rather than June 2023 as promised, owing to the debate centred around the Finance Bill 2023 and the budget.
"We must first approve this in the budget. As of now, there is no way to waive the tax until a new budget is passed. June 1 is not possible until we pass it through Parliament. If we had passed it through the supplementary budget, June would be possible."
"But we tried to, and it was not possible because it would force us to change a certain law," Ruto defended his policies after he was cornered by journalists.
On February 26, the head of state promised to lower the price of gas cylinders from Ksh2,800, with critics arguing that he was issuing baseless pledges to calm the uproar on proposed tax hikes in the Finance Bill 2023.
“In the next three years, we will make sure that every home will have a gas cylinder issued by the government so that we stop using firewood as a source of energy," Ruto stated.
