Former Minister JFK Blasts SLPP Government Over NLe 28.50 Fuel Price increment

Former Attorney General and APC presidential aspirant Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara has strongly condemned the government’s recent increase in fuel prices, calling it a “moral failure” in light of declining international oil prices.

In a statement released Monday, Kamara argued that the decision to raise pump prices for petrol and diesel to NLe 28.50 per litre places an unfair burden on citizens already facing a severe cost-of-living crisis.

“At a moment when Sierra Leoneans are grappling with unbearable living costs, shrinking incomes, and daily uncertainty, the government has chosen to add weight to already bent backs,” Kamara stated.

He noted that global fuel prices have recently decreased, creating an opportunity for the government to cushion the economy. Instead, he accused the ruling SLPP of prioritizing “revenue extraction rather than human survival.”

The price adjustment, announced by the National Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NPRA) for January 2026, also sets kerosene at NLe 26.76 per litre and fuel oil at NLe 25.98 per litre. The NPRA cited international market rates, an exchange rate of Le 23.78 to the dollar, and statutory levies as factors in the new pricing structure.

Kamara emphasized the broad impact of fuel costs on transport, food prices, education, and healthcare, warning that the hike will deepen hardship for low-income earners, traders, and households.

“Leadership is tested not in comfort but in crisis,” he said. “Raising fuel prices amid economic distress is mis-governance, stripped of compassion and foresight.”

The former minister concluded by stating that history would judge the decision harshly and called for policies that respond to the realities faced by Sierra Leoneans.