President Ruto announces plans to make cooking gas tax-free
In a bid to ease the burden of high living costs for Kenyans, President William Ruto has announced that all taxes on cooking gas will be dropped.
The president made the announcement during his visit to Mombasa on Friday, where he launched the Taifa Gas terminal at Dongo Kundu.
The president said that removing taxes on cooking gas will make it more affordable and accessible for millions of Kenyans who rely on it for their daily cooking needs.
“Every house will have gas, and we will ensure that the price of gas will fall because we will eliminate all gas taxes,” President Ruto said.
He also said that his government will invest more in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal to meet the growing demand for electricity in the country.
He said that Kenya has abundant natural resources that can be harnessed to generate green and sustainable power.
“Our electric power grid is 92% green and we are committed to turning it 100% green by 2030. Greener cooking energy is better,” he said.
He added that all public institutions and schools will be required to transition from using firewood and biomass to LPG gas by 2025.
“This will reduce deforestation and environmental degradation caused by charcoal burning. It will also improve health outcomes for our people who suffer from respiratory diseases due to indoor air pollution,” he said.
The president also praised the investor behind Taifa Gas, Rostam Aziz, for his resilience and contribution to Kenya’s development.
“The launch of Taifa Gas is a historic milestone on our journey towards achieving self-sufficiency in clean green energy which is a critical component of our commitment to deliver rapid social economic transformation. I congratulate Rostam Aziz, you are a resilient investor. I know the struggles you have gone through to get to this day. This investment should have happened five years ago but because of bureaucracy and negative politics, it was delayed,” he said.