President William Ruto now says that the fuel prices in Kenya differ from those in other countries due to the levels of development and income.
Speaking during a church service at the Karen Africa Gospel Church (AGC) on April 19, the president assured that the government is working the stabilize fuel prices amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
He, however, explained that fuel prices in Kenya differ from those in other countries in the region because Kenya is a middle-income country, compared to the neighboring countries that are less developed.
“Kenya is a middle-income country compared to other countries that are the least developed. There is a big difference. If you want to compare Kenya fairly with other middle-income countries, that is how you will get the figures right,” Ruto stated.
According to Ruto, Kenya’s fuel prices may be slightly lower than or on par with the of other middle-income countries.
Additionally, the president explained that the infrastructural development influences the hike in the fuel prices resulting from differences with neighboring countries in Kenya.
Also Read: Ruto Announces Major Infrastructure Overhaul For Nairobi City
Kenyan fuel supports transport infrastructure, including the maintenance of 20,000 kilometers of tarmac roads and the construction of 6,000 kilometers of tarmac roads.
According to the president, maintaining the 20,000-kilometer tarmac road in Kenya is equivalent to maintaining roads in approximately six to seven neighboring East African Countries.
The total kilometers of roads in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan do not amount to the 20,000 kilometers of tarmac road that the Kenyan fuel currently maintains, as the president explained.
Further, the president argued that the six-thousand-kilometer tarmac under construction in Kenya is equivalent to all the tarmac in the neighboring countries that border Kenya, built over sixty years.
Ruto also noted that the government has development plans underway to construct an additional 28,000 kilometers of tarmac in the next seven years.
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Ruto on Government Development Plans
At the same time, the President announced that the government is expected to pay approximately Ksh13 billion per month to health facilities on Monday, which, according to the President, would have taken the defunct NHIF a whole year.
In addition, the president stated that six markets would be constructed across the county of Nairobi to develop the infrastructure to make Kenya a desirable country.
Further, the national government, in coordination with the Nairobi County Assembly, has integrated measures to restructure and upgrade infrastructure and services in Nairobi.
Among the development projects is the construction of approximately 250 kilometers of roads across Nairobi, with 67 kilometers already under construction and a further 70 kilometers to be constructed soon.
On the other hand, the president also highlighted the citywide street lighting program ha will see the installation of 40,000 lights across highways and residential areas to improve visibility and support a 24-hour city model.
To curb the garbage disposal challenge in Nairobi County, the president also added that scaling up the number of garbage collection trucks was underway, from 40 to 250, to improve garbage collection and sanitation.
