Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party, has given a warning to President William Ruto’s government about the high cost of living.
He says that if they don’t take action to make life more affordable for Kenyans, there will be serious consequences.
In a recent press briefing, Odinga said that if the government continues to ignore the struggles of the Kenyan people, they might face a fate similar to other unpopular governments in Africa that have been overthrown recently.
Odinga mentioned situations in countries like Libya, Gabon, and Botswana where people rose up against oppressive regimes. He expressed the frustration of Kenyans who have been dealing with rising prices of food and fuel for a long time without any solutions.
He said, “There are strong indications that things will get worse or remain the same.
We however refuse to ask you to tighten your belts, you have done enough.
The ball is squarely in the court of the regime. They either act or await the fate that has fallen other insensitive and incompetent regimes across the continent.”
Odinga blamed the current government for the high cost of living, saying their policies have led to expensive everyday items.
He pointed to the recent decision by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to raise fuel prices, which he linked to the government’s deals with Gulf countries.
According to Odinga, the President and his deputy are responsible for the high oil prices because they opted for Government-To-Government (G2G) oil supply contracts with Middle Eastern countries.
“That is the cause problem of the fuel prices we‘re having when the government interfered with OTS.
I am talking to you as someone who has been a minister of Energy in my early inclination.
That is the cause of the mess we are having; they say we are going to do a G2G and that they will pay with Kenyan shilling,” stated Odinga.
“Ask yourself, what are the Arabs in the Middle East going to do with Kenyan shillings? The bad policies put up by this government are putting us where we are and it is unfortunate that it is innocent Kenyans who are suffering while those who are responsible are globetrotting looking at coffee and tigers in Colombia.”
Odinga also criticized the government’s priorities, saying they should focus on reducing the cost of food and fuel instead of subsidizing fertilizer.
He argued that this approach has led to inflation because even with fertilizer, farmers can’t afford the fuel to operate tractors and generators on their farms.
He emphasized, “Inflation is driven by the cost of food and fuel.
As long as the government has not resolved the price of food and fuel, the cost of living will not come down.”
“No amount of fertilizer will lower the cost of food as long as the cost of fuel is unchecked. Diesel is one of the highest costs in farming. Even if you give the citizen a bag of fertilizer but make it impossible for her to plough an acre of land you have not solved the problem.”
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