'All Options Are Available To Us'
According to President William Ruto, he would be open to purchasing petroleum from Russia if Kenya had the option.
This occurs at a time when a number of countries, including the United States, are avoiding interactions with Russia as a result of that country's invasion of Ukraine.
President Ruto hinted in an interview with BBC that he would be looking at all possibilities in an effort to rein in the increasing fuel prices that have caused Kenyans to dig deeper into their wallets since the fuel subsidy was eliminated.
"As a nation, we have access to every option. Although Kenya will be our main emphasis, East Africa would also be a fantastic alternative "added he.
The head of the armed forces also stated that, through bilateral ties, he hopes to work with market forces to bring petroleum costs back to reasonable levels.
The plan, he said, is to "guarantee that we work with market forces on how we can have a government-to-government connection that will provide us fuel at perhaps Ksh 20 to Ksh 25% less than in the market."
President Ruto highlighted that despite the high fuel prices brought on by the withdrawal of subsidies, he had taken advantage of the loopholes that allowed for corruption.
"Those are the interventions I'm looking at, but I had to remove the subsidies," he said. "They were a huge drain on resources that would be used for the development of the country, yet the prices were not coming down and it was generally distorting prices of fuel in the country and creating unnecessary shortages."
He defended the choice by pointing out that they were able to rescue resources that will be used for the nation's extensive expansion.
"We have now eliminated shortages, but we haven't eliminated the high prices, but we have done two things: we have saved money that was being wasted with cartels in the subsidy program, and we have eliminated shortages. I am now moving to the agenda of ensuring that we have relationships between governments that will gradually start the journey to bring the price of fuel down."
The president of state continued by saying that Kenya will collaborate closely with other East African nations to create a unified budget structure and enhance the quality of life for East Africans.
According to Ruto, "Kenya Kwanza is about doing what is right for the people of Kenya, but it does not mean that what is right for Kenyans is wrong for East Africans. It really builds on what is good for Kenyans must be good for East Africans and that is the trajectory we are looking at."
"We are looking to grow East Africa and we have a shared financial framework. It is incorrect to state that we would conduct our business to the exclusion of everyone else since it is no longer possible to operate in isolation from the rest of the world."
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