NAIROBI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday announced a 10-shilling (0.07 U.S. dollars) reduction in diesel prices for the June-July review cycle, amid rising global fuel costs driven by the Middle East conflict.
The announcement was made following a consultative meeting with transport stakeholders in the coastal city of Mombasa.
Ruto said the government has been using the Petroleum Development Fund and a 50 percent reduction in value-added tax, from 16 percent to 8 percent, to stabilize fuel prices.
Across the April-May and May-June pricing cycles, the government committed 217.2 million dollars in fuel price support through stabilization measures and tax relief interventions to cushion Kenyans, he noted.
He also said Kenya will promote electric vehicles to reduce fuel consumption. He announced that the government is in the process of procuring 3,000 electric vehicles through the Ministry of Interior for use by security officers.
"I am also making a declaration that the first 100,000 electric vehicles to be imported into Kenya, whether for public service or private use, will be duty-free," he said.
The president added that the government has also ensured a stable and uninterrupted fuel supply under the government-to-government fuel framework.
