Ichung’wah slams Raila’s Claims Regarding the Government-to-Government Oil Deal
The Kenya Kwanza administration has chastised Raila Odinga, leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party, for claiming that the government-to-government oil imports are a sham. At a press conference on Thursday, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, who was joined by a number of Kenya Kwanza legislators, described the supposed dossier as nothing more than hot air and political propaganda.
Mr. Odinga, according to Ichung’wah, utilized the alleged report to earn cheap political points in order to revive his waning political fortunes. A dossier is nothing more than hot air, political propaganda, and cheap street rumors,” Raila Odinga said. “His alleged report lacked substance and was clearly part of his standard propaganda rumor mills,” said the member of parliament from Kikuyu.
Ichung’wah denied Mr. Odinga’s accusations that the President William Ruto-led regime’s government-to-government agreement was only intended to raise fuel prices in Kenya while enriching shadowy government officials. Mr. Odinga said that Kenya had not signed an arrangement with the UAE or Saudi Arabia, but rather with the Ministry of Energy and Middle Eastern state-owned firms.
The opposition leader further claimed that the transaction was merely classified as government-to-government in order to exempt three Kenyan companies from paying 30% corporate tax. The MP, on the other hand, indicated that the three businesses mentioned by Mr. Odinga, namely Gulf Energy, Galana Oil Kenya Ltd, and Oryx Energies Kenya Ltd, are not agents of the Kenyan government, but rather representatives of the oil companies of the Gulf nations.
Similarly, he directed the Azimio pointman to provide information as to whether the three entities were tax-compliant. Mr. Odinga is telling the truth when he states Kenya’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum signed a deal with Middle Eastern state-owned petroleum corporations. If that isn’t a government-to-government transaction, what is it? A contract signed between a government ministry and a state-owned corporation?
For the benefit of Mr. Odinga and his ilk, the three corporations (Gulf Energy, Galana Oil Kenya Ltd, and Oryx Energies Kenya Ltd) are not agents of the Kenyan government. doing logistics on behalf of (Aramco and ADNOC), the two State corporations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.” It is not the Kenyan government’s concern who those firms choose as Kenyan partners.”
“Mr. Odinga alleges that the characterization of the oil deal as G-to-G was intended to shield three Kenyan companies from paying 30% corporate tax,” he continued. We defy Mr. Odinga to present such proof that these corporations are not paying their taxes.”
As a result, the lawmaker blamed Mr. Odinga for the disaster in the petroleum industry caused by the old regime’s implementation of oil subsidies following the infamous handshake with retiring President Uhuru Kenyatta.
