Senator Dan Maanzo of Makueni has demanded the detention of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) directors, who recently increased fuel prices against a court ruling.
The politician, a close associate of Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, requested that the EPRA executives be held accountable for their actions in contempt of court while speaking at a church service in Nairobi.
Mr Maanzo demanded that "every director who participated in the decision to raise fuel prices be held accountable and imprisoned."
Mr Maanzo added that the judiciary has just sided with the people in a decision over the Finance Bill 2023.
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On June 30, 2023, the High Court in Nairobi temporarily halted the implementation of the Finance Bill 2023 while it heard and decided a lawsuit filed by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah.
"They (EPRA directors) must be taken into custody. I implore them to think this through.
The senator's comments raised attention to growing fuel prices, which has alarmed many Kenyans. The daily lives of average residents are directly impacted by gasoline prices, which also impact food, transportation, and overall living expenses. The need for openness and equity in fuel pricing increases as living expense rises.
In defiance of a court decision Friday freezing the Finance Act, 2023, EPRA increased pump prices in response to the VAT on petroleum products being doubled to 16 per cent.
Kenyans are already paying the highest pump rates in East Africa, spending an average of Sh195 for gasoline and Sh185 for diesel.
The fuel cost has risen despite a significant drop in global prices over the previous few months.
Electricity, transportation, and food expenses have all increased due to the high price of gasoline.
