'Hot air, propaganda, street rumours’: Ichung'wah slams Raila over Gov't-to-Gov't oil deal claims

The Kenya Kwanza administration has told off Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party leader Raila Odinga over claims that the government-to-government oil importationis a scam.

Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah, who led a number of Kenya Kwanza legislators at a press address on Thursday, termed the alleged dossier as nothing short of hot air and political propaganda.

Ichung’wah accused Mr. Odinga of using the alleged dossier to score cheap political points to resuscitate his dwindling political fortunes.

“What Raila Odinga billed as a dossier is nothing short of hot air, political propaganda, and cheap street rumours. His purported dossier, lacked substance and is evidently part of his usual propaganda rumour mills,” stated the Kikuyu MP.

“The entire so-called dossier is nothing but political hogwash cleverly designed to incite Kenyans and resuscitate his fledgling political base that is fast sliding away on account of dishonesty and his obvious use of his supporters as a negotiating tool for selfish personal interest.”

Ichung’wah refuted Mr. Odinga’s claims that the President William Ruto-led regime’s government-to-government deal was merely aimed at driving up the cost of fuel in the country while benefiting shadowy government officials.

Mr. Odinga had claimed that Kenya had not signed any agreement with the UAE or Saudi Arabia, but rather the agreement was signed between the Ministry of Energy and State-owned companies in the Middle East.

The opposition chief further alleged that the President Ruto administration only characterized the transaction as government-to-government in order to exempt three Kenyan companies from paying 30% corporate tax.

The MP however stated that the three companies alluded to by Mr. Odinga, namely; Gulf Energy, Galana Oil Kenya Ltd and Oryx Energies Kenya Ltd, are not agents of the Kenyan government but representatives of the Gulf nations’ oil companies.

He similarly tasked the Azimio pointman to produce evidence on whether the three companies were not tax compliant.

“Mr. Odinga rightfully states Kenya’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum signed a deal with State-owned petroleum companies in the Middle East. If that is not a government to government deal, what else is G-to-G if not a contract signed between a government ministry and a State-owned corporation?” He posed.

“For the benefit of Mr Odinga and his ilk, the three companies (Gulf Energy, Galana Oil Kenya Ltd and Oryx Energies Kenya Ltd) are not agents of the Kenya government and are doing logistics on behalf of (Aramco and ADNOC) the two State corporations in Saudi and United Arab Emirates. It is not the business of the Kenya government on who those corporations appoint as their Kenyan partners.”

He added: “Mr. Odinga alleges that the characterization of the oil deal as G-to-G was meant to shield some three Kenyan companies from paying 30 per cent corporate tax. We dare Mr. Odinga to table such evidence that these companies are not remitting their taxes.”

Consequently, the lawmaker blamed Mr. Odinga for the mess in the petroleum sector owing to the introduction of the oil subsidy by the former regime after the infamous handshake with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“It is therefore dishonest for a politician of Odinga’s stature to seek to score cheap political points on the back of a problem he and his handshake partner created,” he noted.

“He knows too well how he underwrote and insured the merchants of State capture and lords of corruption that led the country to the abyss of corruption in the name of subsidies that Kenyans continue to pay dearly to date.”

The MP at the same time told off Mr. Odinga against dragging Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni into the fuel row after the opposition leader had alleged that the neighbouring country was seeking alternative sources for their petroleum products on the basis that Kenyan middlemen were allegedly hiking prices.

According to Ichung’wah, Mr. Odinga’s claims only seek to create enmity between the two countries since Uganda does not buy its oil products in Kenya.

“Mr Odinga's repeated suggestion that Kenya sources oil products for Uganda is factually incorrect, it is a fallacy and points to desperation to create bad blood between the two neighbours. The G-to-G oil deal does not influence Uganda's oil imports, as Uganda independently procures its oil products and only transships its oil through Kenya's pipeline,” he explained.

“In this case, he must desist from dragging Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni’s name in his shadowboxing against the Kenya Kwanza administration.”