VIDEO: Moses Kuria's Claims on the Fuel Subsidy Sparks Reactions Online
Speaking on one of Kenya's media stations on September 14, former Gatundu South Member of Parliament Moses Kuria claimed that the country's fuel subsidy was being pocketed by a few individuals, resulting in fuel price hikes experienced by Kenyans.
Leah Mukangai His remarks came a day after fuel prices were seen to be rising across the country. On September 13, Moses Kuria revealed on his Facebook page that after Nairobi county was handed over to the national government in 2020 after its former Governor Mike Sonko was fired, the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) took advantage and used Kshs. 15 billion that went unaccounted for.
"It's totally unacceptable and horrendous that 2-year-old Nairobi Metropolitan Services is leaving behind pending bills of Ksh 15 Billion. It is an open secret that NMS was used as an ATM machine by the ruling dynasty," Kuria stated.
Moses Kuria also urged the current Nairobi governor, Johnson Sakaja, not to accept the county back from the national government until the outstanding Kshs. 15 billion was repaid to the county government.
"Dear Governor Sakaja, ask the dynasty to clear the Ksh 15 Billion before they transfer NMS back to you," Moses Kuria stated.
In the interview, Moses Kuria stated that the fuel subsidy was shared by only a few people in the country. He claimed that a few people were scooping Kshs. 16 billion each month.
He also stated that the interest earned from the government's domestic borrowing was divided among a few individuals.
The energy regulator eliminated the petrol subsidy a day after the new President, William Ruto, stated subsidies were unsustainable, potentially adding to inflationary pressures.
For the first time in a year, it eliminated an Sh20.5-per-litre subsidy on petrol and cut reliefs on kerosene and diesel in half, to Sh26.25 and Sh20.82, respectively.
As the new administration works to withdraw State-backed discounts on petroleum products, the burden of the subsidy has been reduced from Sh14.5 billion to Sh5 billion.
Subsidies, according to President Ruto, have been costly and prone to abuse, including causing artificial shortages of the very products being subsidized.
