Opposition leaders accuse Ruto of hiking fuel prices for personal gain

United Opposition leaders brief the media on the fuel scandal that has seen the increase on petroleum products. [Benard Orwongo, Standard] The United Alternative Government, led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, has accused President William Ruto of exerting influence over Kenya's fuel procurement system and benefiting from a pricing structure it says has significantly increased the cost of living. Gachagua said the country's fuel sector had been taken over by political interests, claiming that procurement decisions were no longer guided by technical merit. "The entire energy value chain has been captured and ordinary Kenyans are paying the price. Even processes that were meant to be strictly technical were overridden to serve predetermined interests linked to powerful individuals," he stated. The group alleged that Gulf Energy, which it described as a proxy company linked to President Ruto, was introduced into a fuel procurement process despite failing technical evaluation and missing submission deadlines. They further claimed that the president was duly informed of procurement procedures and committee decisions but still influenced outcomes in favour of the company, resulting in what it terms irregular adjustments to emergency fuel supply arrangements under the Petroleum Import Regulations, 2023. Gachagua linked Gulf Energy to the broader government-to-government (G2G) fuel import framework involving suppliers such as Saudi Aramco, arguing that the arrangement depends on politically connected intermediaries rather than transparent state-to-state procurement mechanisms. "This structure has weakened oversight and blurred the distinction between public procurement and private commercial interests," he said. The leaders also questioned the arrest of senior energy officials, including former Petroleum Principal Secretary Mohamed Liban, former EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo, and the former Managing Director of Kenya Pipeline Company, who are yet to be officially charged for the alleged importation of substandard fuel. The group argues that the officials implemented lawful directives under existing regulations and should not be detained without formal charges, saying accountability is being applied selectively across the sector. The United Alternative Government has further demanded the immediate resignation of Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, arguing that he bears political responsibility for what it describes as widespread irregularities in the fuel sector. Gachagua said the Cabinet Secretary could no longer remain in office amid the unfolding crisis. "Opiyo Wandayi must take political responsibility for a system that has failed Kenyans, and he cannot continue in office while this level of crisis persists," he noted. He also referenced fuel price increases announced on April 14, 2026, which raised petrol by Sh 28.69 per litre and diesel by KSh 40.30 per litre. He linked these increases to closed-door pricing negotiations that excluded public participation and transparency. The leaders further allege that President Ruto stands to gain about Sh5 per litre of fuel consumed under the current pricing structure, translating to an estimated Sh2.5 billion from roughly 500 million litres of consumption, and up to Sh30 billion since the introduction of the G2G arrangement. "This system effectively ties public fuel consumption to private financial benefit, though these figures have not been independently verified," said the former DP. Gachagua warned that fuel pricing in Kenya was no longer purely driven by global market forces, but increasingly shaped by domestic policy decisions and vested interests. "Kenyans are paying for a system where public policy and private gain have been dangerously intertwined," he said. The United Alternative Government is now calling for the cancellation of the G2G fuel framework, suspension of fuel-related levies, and the resignation of Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, warning that failure to act could trigger nationwide protests within days.

Opposition leaders accuse Ruto of hiking fuel prices for personal gain

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