Days after EPRA announced new fuel prices, sparking outrage, President Ruto has come out to defend the historic hike while dismissing comparisons with equivalent prices in neighboring countries.
Photo:President Ruto Speaking at African Gospel Church in Karen, Nairobi
Photo credit :Standard Group
The Head of State has pointed out that Kenya, being the most developed in the region, ought to have high prices.
“Kenya is a middle-income country; our neighbours are less developed. There is a big difference. If you want to compare Kenya fairly with others, compare Kenya with other middle-income countries. That is where you will get the figures right. Middle-income countries like Kenya possibly have higher fuel prices than Kenya, or the same,” he said.
He further added, “Our country has double the stretch of tarmac of our closest neighboring economy, so it’s unfair to compare us with our immediate neighbors.”
“Our prices are commensurate with our economic standards,” he concluded.
The president seems to justify high fuel taxes due to the need for enough financial muscle to maintain and spur infrastructural development. While having thousands of kilometres of tarmac is an indicator of economic development, the logic is lost when it is assumed to be the only measure of economic superiority.
A booming economy doesn’t just have major roads to enhance connectivity and spur growth; it has much to do with the whole nation’s economic facets. For instance, it is absurd to claim superiority when the fundamentals of the economy are crumbling right before our eyes—hospitals running on empty drug shelves, a demotivated workforce, and dysfunctional systems, including the critical health insurance.
When schools grapple with inadequate basic infrastructure to facilitate learning, and retirees wait for years before setting their eyes on their own pensions—some never getting to enjoy them because the wait is outpaced by death (likely worsened by the struggles of pursuing their dues).
Well, high taxes should translate to a high quality of life. If not, the infamous, often dismissed phrase—“we don’t eat roads”—will certainly begin to make sense.
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