The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has criticised the latest fuel price review by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
In a statement , the association argued that the changes fail to provide meaningful relief to consumers despite a significant decline in global oil prices.
MAK accused EPRA of reducing petrol prices by only a paltry Ksh0.22 per litre, despite global oil prices dropping sharply over the past month.
“At MAK, we express profound disappointment and outrage at the latest fuel price review announced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), which reduced the price of petrol by a mere Ksh0.22 per litre and delivered the sly political promise of a KSh 10 reduction in diesel prices outside the law,” the association stated.
MAK claimed the announced Ksh10 reduction was not arrived at through the official pricing formula, but rather through what it terms opaque political negotiations following the fuel protests that rocked the nation last month, which saw fuel prices soar to historic highs.
Additionally, the association alleged that the diesel price cut was reportedly discussed with a splinter group of transporters based in Mombasa, raising questions about who really sets fuel prices in Kenya.
“The Government found itself under intense pressure following the threatened nationwide fuel and transport sector strike. Instead of addressing the fundamental concerns raised by transport operators and consumers, diesel prices were reportedly negotiated through opaque political engagements with a splinter group in Mombasa,” it added.
The association therefore lagged the unchanged kerosene prices, a commodity heavily relied upon by low-income households for cooking and lighting.
According to MAK, the hike, which was announced earlier in May to accommodate a drop in diesel prices, came at the worst possible time, given that the country was already on edge over a planned transport sector strike.
The lobby further pointed out that during previous review cycles, steep increases were imposed even when global crude prices had not risen by a similar margin.
