Belgut MP Nelson Koech has defended President William Ruto amid growing public concern over the ongoing fuel crisis.
Speaking on Monday, May 25, the lawmaker argued that the disruptions affecting fuel supply and prices were linked to instability in the Gulf region.
Koech insisted that the President was unfairly being blamed for a crisis that has affected many countries around the world.
"I get the feeling that the President is being held hostage. This is a global crisis, and we have nothing to do with the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
Koech explained that damage to refineries in the Gulf had significantly disrupted fuel transportation and supply chains, warning that the effects would continue for months even if shipping routes were reopened immediately.
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"The issue is the refineries, because eight refineries in the Gulf have been hit. Even if the Strait of Hormuz were reopened today, it would still take another eight months to restore stability in fuel transportation," he added.
This comes days after Ruto directed a reduction in diesel prices by Ksh10 per litre in the June-July cycle.
Speaking on Friday, May 22, during a press briefing at State House, Mombasa, Ruto said the directive follows consultations from stakeholders in the transport sector.
The Head of State said the reduction of Diesel prices by Ksh10 per liter will help stabilize pump prices and provide relief to consumers.
"After consultations with the leaders from the transport sector, we had many hours of consultations with them yesterday.
"I have directed that in the next pricing cycle we are going to further reduce the price of diesel by Ksh10 for the June-July cycle to stabilize pump prices and provide additional relief to consumers," Ruto announced.
At the same time, Ruto directed the Ministry of Transport to engage financial institutions to provide temporary relief to transport operators.
"The Ministry of Transport will engage financial institutions and the banking sector to provide a platform for transport operators to address the financial challenges arising from the current crisis, including the possibility of temporary relief on lending terms within the sector," he added.
