Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has dismissed the ‘apology’ tendered by Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria over his comments that Kenyans should expect even higher prices at the pump in the coming months.
Amid public uproar over the fuel price hikes, Kuria said fuel prices in the country will continue to rise by at least Ksh.10 every month until February next year and even told off those complaining telling them to dig their own oil wells.
This attracted censures from Khalwale and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who warned Kuria and other leaders of addressing Kenyans with arrogance.
On Wednesday, Kuria took back his words and in the seemingly tongue-in-cheek post. The CS took to X, formerly Twitter saying; “I am made to now understand that the price will come down. I apologise profusely since to err is human.”
“I have since been advised by people like Dr. Boni Khalwale and his master that the statement was incorrect, insensitive and arrogant.”
Responding to Kuria’s remarks on Thursday, Senator Khalwale said that the minister was being sarcastic and was not sincere with his apology.
“I have never read about where he went to school but assuming that he went to a good school like some of us then he was writing in English and every tone of that particular tweet is nothing but sarcasm. There was no apology there,” he said speaking on Citizen TV’s Daybreak show.
“I don’t know who he was apologising to, if it includes me then until I read an apology from him is when I will make a decision whether to accept it or not.”
Khalwale further dissected Kuria’s sentiments saying that every tone in the tweet was condescending, thereby tendering the apology as hollow.
“When you say “people like” that is the beginning of sarcasm. ‘His master’ is further sarcasm. We are not fortune tellers to know what will happen to the prices of oil when he tells people to go and drill oil well that is the kind of arrogance we will not keep quiet [about],” he said.
“And I do not have to be advised by anybody for me to be unhappy with that kind of remarks.”
In what seemed to be a thinly veiled attack on CS Kuria, Khalwale said that he owes Kenyans and those who put him into power since he was awarded the position after failing to clinch the Kiambu gubernatorial seat in the 2022 General Elections.
“We were teargassed and beaten up by police to form this government having formed it the people who failed to win seats the president sympathised with them and appointed them as ministers. We have them their opportunity, they owe it to us that they are in that office,” he said.
The legislator affirmed that he will not relent in calling out leaders who have slept on their jobs and hold them accountable for their actions.