By Nyanza Wire 
As fuel prices continue to rise and Kenyans struggle with the high cost of living, public frustration is understandable. Transport costs have gone up, food prices are under pressure, and businesses are feeling the impact of expensive energy. But amid the anger and political noise, the country must confront one uncomfortable truth: Kenya’s fuel crisis did not emerge overnight, and no government can fix it instantly.
The roots of the current crisis go back many years. Kenya’s growing debt burden, dependence on imported fuel, weakening shilling, and global economic shocks have all combined to create the difficult situation the country now faces. Over time, successive governments borrowed heavily to fund infrastructure, development projects, and budget deficits. Today, those loans are demanding repayment.
The result is a heavily constrained economy where a large portion of government revenue goes toward servicing debt. For every Ksh 10 collected by the government, nearly Ksh 7 is consumed by debt repayment and mandatory obligations. This leaves only about Ksh 3 for roads, healthcare, salaries, electricity connections, water projects, education, and other essential services.
The fuel sector itself is also deeply tied to debt obligations. Some fuel levies and future revenues have already been securitized, meaning they were committed in advance to secure loans and finance projects. This limits the government’s ability to simply remove levies or aggressively subsidize fuel prices without creating massive financial gaps.
At the same time, Kenya is battling forces beyond its control. Global tensions involving the United States and Iran continue to destabilize international oil markets. Any threat to supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz pushes global oil prices upward. Since Kenya imports most of its fuel, these shocks are directly passed to consumers through higher prices.
Many citizens understandably want immediate intervention, but the available options are painful. Borrowing more money to subsidize fuel would temporarily lower prices but increase the country’s debt burden. On the other hand, defaulting on debt obligations or securitized agreements would damage Kenya’s economy through investor panic, a weaker shilling, higher inflation, and reduced access to international financing.
This is why Kenyans must have an honest national conversation. The fuel crisis is not just a political issue; it is an economic reality built over years of debt accumulation, global dependency, and structural challenges. Solving it will require patience, discipline, long-term reforms, and collective sacrifice.
There are no shortcuts. The country must focus on sustainable solutions rather than temporary political excitement
Walter Akillah