“Dismantle The Cartel”- Gachagua Blames Corruption For Fuel Hike, Challenges Ruto To Provide Answers
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a scathing attack on President William Ruto’s administration, demanding immediate answers from his former boss over the skyrocketing fuel prices that have plunged the country into a transport crisis.
In a video statement, a defiant Gachagua attributed the historic pump price hikes to an deeply entrenched “corruption cartel” within the Ministry of Petroleum. He accused the ministry of actively protecting oil dealers and inflating their profit margins at the expense of struggling citizens.
Allegations of Market Cartels and Inflated Margins
The former second-in-command questioned why Kenyan fuel consumers are bearing a heavier financial burden than neighboring landlocked countries that rely on Kenya’s transport infrastructure for their petroleum imports.
“The corruption cartel at the Ministry of Petroleum should explain to Kenyans why dealers have increased their profits from KSh 9 to KSh 12,” Gachagua demanded. “Why is the Ministry protecting the whole market and operating now like a cartel that is hurting the ordinary people of Kenya to the extent that fuel prices in Kenya are higher than in Uganda, and yet the same products come from the same destination, pass through Kenya before they go to Tanzania or Uganda?”
Dismissing official government explanations, Gachagua asserted that high taxation alone cannot account for the sudden, massive price spikes. Instead, he called for a total overhaul of the Ministry of Petroleum leadership to dismantle the alleged syndicate.
Gachagua Challenges Ruto to Act
Directly addressing the Head of State, Gachagua challenged President Ruto to honor his past rhetoric on government accountability and provide Kenyans with transparent answers.
The fierce remarks come at a politically sensitive time, as the government faces intense public anger, multi-sector transport strikes, and economic paralysis following the recent energy price review.
