Traffic snarl up along Thika Road. PHOTO | FILE
Kenyans who own cars are today morning expected to park them on major roads for three hours to protest against the impending increase in fuel prices.
The Treasury plans to implement the 16 per cent VAT on petroleum products on September 1, having deferred it for two years.
The VAT is a key financial condition prescribed by the IMF for Kenya to improve domestic revenues and tame the mounting public debt, according to Business Daily.
The new tax will increase fuel prices by up to Sh17, which most motorists feel is unfair considering that pump prices are already high.
FRUSTRATE MOVEMENT
Now, Kenya Motorists Association chairman Peter Murima is asking all vehicle owners to frustrate movement on all roads on Wednesday between 7:30am and 10:30am.
“The fuel prices are already too high and the 16 per cent is unnecessary. ERC have been increasing prices every month since the election. Whenever the government wants to raise money, fuel becomes easier target. Motorists have rejected these new taxes. They will be counterproductive,” charged Mr Murima.
“We’ll park on the road on Wednesday on major roads across the country. We start at 7:30am and end at 10;30am.”
The strategy was once used in Germany to protest against fuel price increase. That day, motorists left their cars on roads and left for home. It remains to be seen whether this will work in Kenya.
