Big let down: House Speakers in a spot for being mute over raging fuel crisis

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and his Senate counterpart Amason Kingi during the State of the Nation address by President William Ruto in Parliament, Nairobi, on November 20, 2025. [File, Standard] 

Members of Parliament have the solemn duty of being the people’s voice. Under the leadership of the House Speakers, they are charged with defending the populace through legislation as Kenyans’ representatives.

However, the recent fuel crisis that plunged the country into untold suffering exposed their roles as a leadership tone deaf on people’s plight with the Speakers leading the silence and often siding with the Executive.

Speakers of both august Houses face heavy criticism for not standing with Kenyans during the fuel crisis by not convening an urgent special sitting on the matter. Instead, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula found time to visit Mt Kenya region and root for President William Ruto’s re-election in 2027.

Kenyans also queried why the Senate, presided over by Speaker Amason Kingi, never sought a motion of adjournment to address the high increase of diesel and petrol prices that led to the transport paralysis.

As the fuel hike protests brought the country to its knees, both houses were sluggish in responding to Kenyans cry even as two MPs Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu) and Geoffrey Wandeto (Tetu) wrote to the Speaker pleading for a recall of the National Assembly from recess.

Pundits have also questioned whether Parliament failed to act because they are captive to President Ruto’s grip on the broad-based government that brings together UDA and ODM MPs.

Wetang’ula, who has not responded to both letters, attended a burial in Nyandarua on Tuesday and lectured Mt Kenya region telling them to “reduce their political emotions and live harmoniously with other Kenyans.”

He bragged about how he receives appointment letters from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the National Police Service (NPS) and distributes them to job seekers from all communities, including the Agikuyu community who reside in his Bungoma backyard.

Those comments appeared to confirm claims by some opposition leaders like Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka that TSC has continued dishing out letters to politically correct politicians allied to President Ruto. “I beseech you to lower political emotions, let us love one another. Your community is lucky to have given us three Presidents, and we thank God for that. I pray that you don’t take for granted this country, peace is difficult to define, but very easy to notice its absence. Let us live together in peace,” said Wetang’ula.

He explained how he hands the letters to a Mr Wanene, who allegedly is chairperson of the Agikuyu community in Bungoma. “Whenever I get appointment letters of police and teachers I give him. Let us love each other. Things come and go but Kenya will remain Kenya,” He told mourners of Eshbon Thuku, father to Kinangop MP Kwenya Thuku.

His Senate counterpart, Amason Kingi, accompanied President Ruto in Mombasa yesterday for issuance of title deeds at Mama Ngina Drive. He admonished the Kenyatta family and opposition, urging the Coast voters to give President Ruto a second term.

During the event, Kingi made remarks that critics argue could create animosity against one community on land distribution. “In 1963, after Kenya got its independence, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta started post-independence land redistribution but he left the Coast region out. He took one million acres in the White highlands. When he acquired a loan from Britain and the World Bank to buy land to settle Kenyans, he only settled one community only and that is why they don’t have squatters in the region. The historical land injustice is only being addressed by President Ruto,” Kingi said.

The Senate Speaker completely ignored ongoing fuel crisis, describing the opposition as empty tins, and assured Ruto that they would rally their people to vote for him next year.

The inability by the Legislature to address the high costs of fuel has been addressed by Gladys Boss Shollei, a Deputy Speaker in the National Assembly who admitted that Parliament was primarily responsible.

She argued that lawmakers must take full responsibility for passing the duties and taxes that directly dictate pump prices and that the Parliament has a pivotal role in setting the tax regime. “And that is why I have said on this issue of fuel, this is not the president’s problem largely; it is a problem of parliament, and we are the ones to do something about it because all those duties and taxes are passed by us. It is our responsibility; we should take full responsibility. I do take full responsibility,” Shollei stated.

But other pro-government legislators have laughed off calls for a special sitting to discuss the fuel crisis. Nandi Senator Samson Cherarkey, accused MP Nyoro of pushing the VAT on petroleum products from 8 to 16 per cent when he chaired the Budget committee.

“They are now pretending to be clever and writing letters to the National Assembly Speaker for a recall. They are also trying to fight the government but they are using the wrong tactics. They don’t have the capability, they had but they destroyed it,” he said.

Cherarkey further dismissed Nyoro’s push for a special sitting of Parliament to debate fuel prices, terming it a mere political ‘tactic’ to woo the public and absolve blame. He argued that Parliament has the sole constitutional mandate to impose taxes in the country.

“Articles 209 and 210 of the Constitution say only Parliament has the power to impose taxes on anything in this country,” he stated.

“The only person with the power to call for a special sitting or ask the Speaker to call for that sitting is the Majority and the Minority leader.

Political analysts have on their part called out at the Parliament accusing it of being an appendage of the Executive and failing Kenyans. Benji Ndolo, a political analyst, opined that the Parliament had been usurped by the Executive and the MPs were ‘completely ineffectual and corrupt.’ “It’s not the people’s House anymore. It’s a house of special interests and all this is at the expense of Wanjiku,” he noted.

Alenga Torosterdt, governance expert, said it was a tragedy that Parliament had reduced itself into a laughing stock, noting that instead of the House defending the interests of their electorate, it had relegated the responsibility to the Matatu owner’s association.

“Parliament has all instruments to check everything. It has powerful delegated legislation. It has the power to switch and change everything that doesn’t make sense. If you read our Constitution clearly and see the roles of the president, it’s so ceremonious, it is the Parliament that has powers but they have donated their power to the President,’ he noted.

Critics claim the legislature is yet again in a similar sport as it was during June 25, 2024, Gen-Z-led protests with MPs were blamed for being stone deaf to calls to withdraw the Finance bill that was later withdrawn by the President following a trail of destruction and deaths across the country.

On May 15, Nyoro wrote to Wetang’ula asking him to recall the House to amend various taxation on fuel to ease fuel costs and cushion Kenyans from the high cost of living. He also wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly outlining the specific clauses he wanted amended.

“I respectfully write to you to request your consideration for the recall of the National Assembly from recess pursuant to its mandate under the constitution and the standing orders to deliberate on urgent proposed legislative amendment aimed at reducing the cost of fuel in the country,” Nyoro said in his letter.

Nyoro has been pushing for reduction of Value Added Tax by 8 per cent to make petroleum products VAT exempt, reduction of fuel levy by Sh7, reduction of profit margin of importers and distributors and provision of an additional subsidy of Sh5 billion for petroleum.

“The measures will reduce the price of diesel by approximately Sh54 per litre while super petrol will drop by an acceptable margin. These are the practical proposals we proposed aimed at reducing Fuel Prices to acceptable levels. Two of them need Parliamentary approval and we’ve already written to Parliament,” the MP said.

Similarly, Tetu MP wrote a private memo to Wetang’ula on May 18 indicating his intention to present a motion to stabilise fuel prices and protect the economy from collapsing.

Wandeto has proposed changes in levies and taxes such as suspension of the Sh4. Import Declaration fee (IDF) for diesel, zero rating of Excise Duty on diesel by Sh11.37 per liter of Diesel, Zero rating of VAT on diesel and petrol from the current 8 per cent to reduce the cost of diesel and petrol by Sh17.99 and Sh15.60 respectively.

Other proposals include additional Fuel Stabilisation Support at a rate of Sh2.5 billion per month on approximately 200 million litres of diesel consumed per month reducing the cost of diesel by Sh12.50 to further reduce diesel by Sh. 45.86 to Sh197.06 and petrol by Sh15.60 to Sh198.65.

“I also propose temporary opening up of the bulk fuel importation outside the Government-to-Government (G-to-G) model to enhance competition, improve supply flexibility, strengthen price discovery and potentially lower landed fuel costs,” he said.