President Uhuru Kenyatta has weighed in on the biting fuel shortage and the high food prices being experienced across the country.
Speaking at AIC Pipeline Church in Nairobi County on Sunday, April 3, Uhuru noted that Kenyans were unfairly bearing the brunt of an international conflict.
He noted that the current tension between Russia and Ukraine had led to a spike in oil prices and shortage of the same and a jump in the cost of fertilizer which is essential in food production in the country, especially to farmers.
"Just after he persevering the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, another war has erupted in Europe and now the whole world has to suffer because of an oil shortage and other factors. The price of fertilizers has shot, the cost of fuel has also gone up and there has also been a shortage in petroleum products," Uhuru noted.
The Head of State called on Kenyans to pray for international peace noting that the ripple effect of the war would be felt locally because most sectors of the economy relied on fuel.
He expressed his disappointment in the fact that millions in the world were forced to sleep hungry while scores continued to lose their lives. President Kenyatta further called for immediate action to be taken to stop what he termed a meaningless war.
"I pray those that are fighting to end their conflict because when they fight, it is us who suffer. We need to pray very hard that that war is brought to a speedy conclusion,"
"It is a very sad thing to see people go hungry, to see people lose lives because of a meaningless war. Dialogue has always superseded war and everything we can do to find peaceful solutions to our problems should be utilized," President Kenyatta lamented.
Kenyatta's remarks come amid a looming fuel crisis across the country . The shortage which began in some parts of western Kenya led to panic buying by motorists who flooded petrol stations across the country. Filling stations are experiencing long queues. In Rongo town, Migori county, police were forced to disperse boda boda riders scrambling for fuel at a petrol station on Sunday, April 3.
In a statement released by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on April 2, the authority admitted to scarcity of the product and attributed it to a delay in compensating margins to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
Working in conjunction with the Ministry of Petroleum, EPRA ordered the companies to release the fuel pledging to settle all the dues owed to them.
"EPRA assured OMCs of the Government's commitment to promptly settling all pending claims on account of the stabilization process. All OMCs are therefore directed to immediately release petroleum supplies in order to alleviate the current supply crises," read the statement.
Apart from fuel, Kenyans are also confronting high food prices, including milk, bread, cooking oil and eggs among other essential commodities.
