Don’t compare our fuel prices with neighbours, they are less developed - Ruto

President William Ruto has defended Kenya’s high cost of fuel, saying it matches its status as a Low- and Middle-Income Country (LMIC).

Speaking during a church service on Sunday, Ruto downplayed comparisons to other fuel prices in the East African Community.

According to Ruto, Kenya is incomparable to its neighbours, who are ranked among the least developed countries.

“I know many people in Kenya keep asking why it is that sometimes the prices of fuel are different in Kenya from our neighbors. Kenya is a middle-income country. Our neighbours are least developed countries,” the Head of State argued that Kenya should only be compared to its peers in the middle-income countries.

“There is a big difference. If you want to compare Kenya fairly with others, compare Kenya with other middle-income countries,” he said.

When the Energy Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) released new fuel prices on April 14, Kenya emerged as the consumer paying the most for fuel in the East African region. It ranked high compared to Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.

This was before the revision on the night of April 15, where EPRA made an addendum following a directive by the National Treasury to cut VAT on petroleum products from 13 per cent to 8 per cent.

This revision would see the price per litre of Super Petrol and Diesel decrease by Ksh.9.37 and Ksh.10.21, respectively, while that of Kerosene remained unchanged.

The Head of State has since welcomed the VAT reduction, promising that the government would continue to look for ways to cushion Kenyans from high fuel prices.