Former PM Meets Petroleum Stakeholders
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, on Wednesday, held a meeting with stakeholders in the Petroleum sector amid the fuel crisis in the country.
Immediately after the closed-door meeting, the ODM party leader gave Kenyans a message of hope saying, they have sought a way out of the crisis.
According to Raila, they agreed on measures that should be put in place to curb future shortages.
"There must be a way out of this fuel crisis. That is the conversation I had today with stakeholders drawn from the Petroleum Sector. In the future, we will put in place measures to cushion our people".
The ODM party leader appealed to the government to come up with alternative oil reserves strategically across the country which will serve during emergencies.
“We need to put up strategic reserves across the country in places where we are not vulnerable so that we are not taken into a surprise in the future.”
This comes at a time when the country is facing a fuel crisis that has threatened the transport sector.
Honorable Odinga said, having alternative sources will help alleviate future fuel crises.
Raila blamed the shortage on the international crisis, citing the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia as the main cause.
He pointed out that having one reserve is risky for a nation in case of its collapse or during a crisis.
“We not only need reserves at the port but inland because as you know an enemy can come and go down to Mombasa and bomb our reserves there at the port, and the country will be completely paralyzed,” he stated.
The ODM chief further accused some oil marketers whom he said had dominated the industry and hence are keen on monopolizing it.
“Big marketers who have the financial muscle to be able to borrow from the bank and bring in large stocks and thus give their own outlets...so you end up with this issue of monopoly...you’re the whole seller and retailer at the same time...je huu ni ungwana?” He posed.
The ODM leader hopes to meet and discuss the issue further with officials of the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) and come up with a roadmap of how to handle such events in the future.
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