Savula vows to sue opposition over fuel import claims

Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula addressing residents at a past public function. [Juliet Omelo, Standard]

Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula has vowed to take opposition leaders to court over claims linking President William Ruto to fuel imports under the government-to-government (G-to-G) arrangement, escalating the political dispute over the rising cost of fuel in the country.

Savula said he will on Wednesday file a case at the High Court in Nairobi, seeking to compel opposition figures Rigathi Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Fred Matiang’i to produce evidence supporting their allegations that the Head of State is personally involved in fuel importation.

“On Wednesday next week, I will take the three to court. They must produce evidence that President Ruto is personally importing fuel,” Savula said.

The deputy governor, who also serves as the Deputy Western Regional Coordinator for President Ruto’s 2027 re-election campaign, accused the opposition leaders of spreading misinformation and undermining government efforts to address the high cost of living.

He said the President was focused on finding solutions to stabilise fuel prices, while the opposition was, in his words, “only interested in tarnishing his name for political gain.”

Savula was addressing residents in Mumias East and Lurambi constituencies in Kakamega County on Saturday, where he was accompanied by Lurambi Member of Parliament Titus Khamala. 

Both leaders also praised President Ruto for recent measures aimed at easing fuel prices, including the reduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products from 16 per cent to 8 per cent.

They said the tax cut would significantly ease pressure on households and businesses struggling with high transport and production costs.

Gachagua, Kalonzo, and Matiang’i have in recent weeks been vocal in their criticism of the G-to-G fuel import programme, accusing the government of a lack of transparency and alleging high-level political involvement in the deals, claims Savula strongly denies.

The matter is expected to further fuel political tensions as both sides sharpen their rhetoric ahead of the next election cycle.

Savula defended the government’s fuel import model, saying the G-to-G arrangement was a structured policy decision aimed at stabilising supply and prices in the country.

He explained that the Kenya Pipeline Company could not be assigned the role of managing fuel imports under the arrangement because its mandate is limited to transport and storage infrastructure, not procurement.

Similarly, he said the Kenya National Oil Corporation lacked the financial capacity to independently handle large-scale fuel importation under the programme.

“The government’s option was to engage a private company through an open tender process to coordinate fuel imports under the G-to-G programme,” he said, adding that the arrangement was designed to ensure efficiency and accountability.

Savula warned opposition leaders against politicising energy policy, saying such conduct risked misleading the public on critical economic issues.

“This issue of playing politics with fuel must stop. If they fail to produce evidence in court, Kenyans will judge them as empty noise makers,” he said.

“We want mature politics, not politics of falsehood meant to gain political mileage.”

He further vowed to confront opposition leaders over what he termed “empty politics,” insisting that legal action would help restore accountability in public debate.