Dagoretti MP Elachi Calls For Negotiations To Tame Soaring Fuel Prices

Beatrice Elachi, MP for Dagoretti North, has expressed concern about the country’s fuel price challenges and the impact on the economy.

Referencing the Kenya Kwanza Government’s pledge to address fuel prices upon taking office, the MP demanded a return to the negotiating table, but he also raised concerns about the status of that promise.

“Can we do fuel with Ghana because they also have fuel? Can we think of other countries we can work with? It’s like we’re tied into  situation and very soon we shall be told that even the Israel-Palestine conflict can cause disruptions,” she posed on Citizen TV’S Daybreak show early Monday.

She raised concerns that Kenya’s reliance on specific fuel sources could lead to disruptions.

The legislator emphasized the importance of watching how neighboring countries such as Tanzania and Uganda manage their fuel prices, implying that Kenyans may not see a decrease in fuel prices in the near future.

“We have to rethink as a country because we don’t know how high the price of fuel will go and if it will ever drop,” she posited.

Elachi also chastised the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) for failing to take earlier measures to protect Kenyans from unexpected increases in fuel prices, expressing frustration at how prices seemed to rise unexpectedly.

“You just wake up and you find that Ksh.17 is on top of the previous prices, and so you wonder what happens next. This fuel is telling us that there is nothing that is going to be cheap,” Elachi said.

During the discussion, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei clarified that the rise in fuel prices should not be blamed on government failure or insensitivity.

She cited external factors such as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) deliberate reduction in oil production, which has made Kenya reliant on OPEC decisions.

“We are at the mercy of OPEC. There is nothing we can do, except pray that we’ll one day be able to produce our own oil,” she said.

Shollei also pointed out that the depreciation of the Kenyan Shilling exacerbates the situation, making fuel prices even more challenging for the country.

The government recently announced increases in fuel prices, with petrol going up by Ksh.5.72, diesel by Ksh.4.48, and kerosene by Ksh.2.45 per litre. 

As a result, Super Petrol will now retail at Ksh. 217.36, diesel at Ksh. 205.47, and kerosene at Ksh. 205.06 in Nairobi.