Ruto vows ruthless crackdown on oil cartels amid resignations

President William Ruto speaks during a church service in Kilgoris on Sunday/SCREENGRAB

President William Ruto has vowed a ruthless crackdown on cartels in the oil sector, declaring that his administration will act decisively to dismantle entrenched networks accused of manipulating fuel supply systems for personal gain.

Speaking during a church service in Kilgoris on Sunday, Ruto said individuals behind alleged irregularities in the petroleum industry would face the full force of the law, insisting that Kenya would not tolerate economic sabotage.

“Cartels in the oil industry will face the music. They will not get away with it because it cannot happen in our country,” Ruto said.

The President’s remarks come barely a day after a shake-up in the energy sector that saw senior officials resign following allegations of manipulating fuel stock data and facilitating the procurement of emergency fuel cargo at inflated prices.

Those who stepped aside include Petroleum Principal Secretary Mohamed Liban, Joe Sang of the Kenya Pipeline Company, and Daniel Kiptoo of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

According to preliminary investigations, the alleged manipulation of fuel stock data was used to justify emergency imports outside the established Government-to-Government (G-to-G) framework, raising concerns about transparency and accountability in the sector.

Ruto linked the developments to broader efforts by cartels to exploit global uncertainties, including tensions in the Middle East, to create artificial crises locally.

“We have a problem in the Middle East, yet they still want to create another problem in the country,” he said.

“I must say for the record, this is the administration that is going to deal firmly, decisively, and conclusively with all cartels,” the President added.

Reaffirming his administration’s anti-corruption stance, Ruto said the government would not engage in negotiations with corrupt individuals but would instead take swift action to end the vice.

“I said it from the beginning: in this country, we will not negotiate about corruption. We will act decisively to end the menace,” he said.

“People thought I was joking; others saw it as just a game,” he added.

The President cited previous crackdowns in key agricultural sectors as evidence of his government’s resolve, pointing to reforms in fertiliser distribution, the sugar industry, and the coffee sub-sector.

“In the past, we had cartels and brokers who gave us sleepless nights because of fertiliser. All of them we dealt with properly,” he said.

“We also had cartels in the sugar sector, and we dealt with them. Today the sugar sector is fine. We also had problems in the coffee sub-sector. Today, coffee farmers are paid well.”

Ruto emphasised that restoring accountability across sectors remains a top priority for his administration, warning that no individual or network would be spared in the ongoing purge.

“We must have accountability in Kenya,” he said.