BY MWANAHABARI REPORTER
Kenyan motorists are foaming at the mouth after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) increased fuel prices on Wednesday, September 15, 2021.
To express their disaffection, Kenyan motorists have threatened to park their cars on all major roads and create mother of all traffic jams.
Fuel prices in Kenyan have jumped to a historical high after the new guidelines were announced, with petrol retailing at Sh134.72, Diesel at Sh115, which represented an increase of Ksh7.58 and Ksh7.94 per litre of petrol and kerosene respectively.
Kenyan poor who use Kerosene as fuel were the most affected with the prices increasing by over Ksh12.97 – and now will be retailing at Ksh110.2 per litre. That’s a huge jump to be honest.
There was fear high prices would cause public unrest
The price shot up after the removal of a subsidy that the government had introduced to cushion motorists a few months ago. The subsidy is no more – and which has exposed motorists to high fuel prices during this time of the pandemic.
The government introduced the subsidy amid concern that the high prices would cause public unrest – and they have.
The new prices are inclusive of the 8% Value Added Tax (VAT) in line with the provisions of the Finance Act 2018, the Tax Laws (Amendment) Act 2020 and the revised rates for excise duty adjusted for inflation as per Legal Notice No. 194 of 2020.
It is, however, not clear if Kenyans will go to the extent of parking their cars on public roads and leaving them there for hours or even days to express their anger and displeasure and the government. This has never happened in Kenya.