President Uhuru Avoids the Contentious Fuel Debate as Kenyans Wait with Bated Breath

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday avoided the raging debate on hiked fuel prices when he made his first public appearance since returning to the country after a 10-day foreign trip.

Kenyans thought the President would at least break the silence on the contentious 16 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed on petroleum products.

The levy took effect when the Head of State was in Beijing attending the China-Africa Summit last week sparking outrage from citizens who called on him to intervene and save them from hard economic times.

A day before President Kenyatta left the country for China, MPs passed the Finance Bill 2018 that pushed the implementation of the fuel levy to 2020. If the levy is to be halted, the President must sign the Bill into law.

However, when he presided over the launch of a policy framework and strategy for reorganizing the National Police Service at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi on Thursday, Kenyatta remained tight-lipped on the contentious levy and chose to stick with the agenda of the day.

At the function, Kenyatta announced the merging of Kenya Police Service and the Administration Police (AP) into General Duty Police under the command of Inspector General.