Senator Okiya Omtatah has requested the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) to comply with a court decision that temporarily halted the implementation of the Finance Act, 2023 for a week.

The Busia congressman tweeted on Sunday that he spoke with EPRA's Managing Director and informed him of his plans if the authority fails to comply with the court ruling.

PHOTO | COURTESY Okiya Omtatah

"I spoke with the MD @EPRA_Ke, and we focused on the court orders suspending the Finance Act and issuing an injunction against any part of it." "I told him that if they continue to ignore court orders, I'll file a contempt proceeding against them," he wrote. 

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Following Omtatah's petition, the High Court halted the law's implementation on July 1. The law increased the Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel from 8% to 16%.

PHOTO | COURTESY Okiya Omtatah

However, on June 30, EPRA changed gasoline pricing, resulting in a price increase, with a litre of petrol, diesel, and kerosene retailing at Ksh.195.50, Ksh.179.60, and Ksh.173.44 correspondingly.

This is in violation of a court order prohibiting the execution of any portion of the Finance Act.

"I am satisfied that the application meets the conservatory orders test, and I do grant prayers 2 and 3 of the application until July 5, 2023, when the matter is scheduled for mention for directions," the court ruled on June 30.