The government will no longer impose any taxes on cooking gas, according to President William Ruto, in an effort to provide affordable access to all homes and protect Kenyans from rising living expenses.
Speaking on Friday at the opening of the Taifa Gas plant in Dongo Kundu, Mombasa County, President Ruto stated that this will also help to minimize the usage of wood fuel, which presents problems for the country's residents' health and the environment.
"We need to ensure that every household in Kenya has access to gas for cooking, eliminate the use of wood fuel, address health issues associated with it, and restore our environment by reducing the number of trees that are cut down for wood fuel," he said. "Kila nyumba katika taifa letu la Kenya itakuwa na mtungi wa gas, na tutahakikisha ya kwamba bei ya gas itapun
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As a result, the President of State gave Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir the order to ensure that Kenyan households have access to cooking gas at subsidised rates within the next three years.
In order to ensure that everyone has access to one, the government is currently debating whether to offer gas cylinders for free or at significantly reduced prices, according to President Ruto.
Also, he gave the CS Chirchir instructions to team up with Prof. Kithure Kindiki, his equivalent in the Interior, to launch a crackdown on shady merchants operating illicit petrol stations around the nation.
He said, "Waziri, you have the marching orders and you know what you have to do so that in three years every family has a subsidised cooking gas, both in terms of the cost of the cylinder - we want to see whether we can offer the cylinder for free or charge a minimum fee.
"I also want the government to see to it that we stop all illegal gas filling in the nation because it's risky. Hawa watu wajipange, wale wakora wote ambao wanatumia mitungi ambayo sio zao kuweka gas Kwa sababu mtu ahatarishe maisha ya wananchi kwa kuenda kufill gas mtungi na anatumia mbinu ambazo sio halali. Thus, we must ensure that all illegal gas stations are closed down and that we eradicate all illegal gas vendors.
