As a transport strike gripped the country over fuel prices, Jeff Koinange Live brought the people at the centre of it to the same bench. Kennedy Kaunda, CEO of the East Africa Tour Guides and Drivers Association, sat alongside Kushian Muchiri, CEO of the Federation of Public Transport Sector, and Cornelius Chepsoi, chair of the Rig Owners Association. Facing them was Eng. Edward Kinyua, Director of Petroleum and Gas at the energy regulator EPRA.
Jeff began with the man whose press conference had gone viral. Kaunda explained that he had stood up because the message coming out of the talks did not reflect what had been agreed, and he rejected the idea that the operators were simply striking. This, he said, was a collaborative stand by a transport sector that holds up the economy.
Muchiri explained how the federation was formed to stop the government from striking deals with one matatu association at a time. It now brings all nine associations under one umbrella. Chepsoi described the knock-on effects for borehole drilling: after one price increase his members raised the cost of a borehole by 20%, only for prices to climb again. "I don't even know whether we are suffering or we are dead," he said. "Maybe we are actually in a coma."
Kinyua laid out how EPRA sets fuel prices under the 2022 pricing regulations, and why prices respond to geopolitics. Kenya is a net importer, he said, and the conflict in the Middle East since February had hit the heart of its supply. Loading has shifted from ports such as Jebel Ali and Ruwais to Red Sea ports including Yanbu and Jizan to keep supplies flowing.
It was a rare chance to hear both sides of the fuel crisis in one room, as commuters walked to work across the country.
Continue with Part 2 on Citizen TV.
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