Motorists and households face higher fuel costs after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) raised pump prices in its latest monthly review, which took effect at midnight on Thursday, October 15.
In Nairobi, super petrol now retails at Ksh226.96 per litre, up Ksh12.93. Diesel rises by Ksh9.90 to Ksh227.76, while kerosene jumps Ksh28.49 to Ksh219.87 per litre. The prices will remain in force until November 14 and include VAT at the reduced rate of 8%.
Why prices went up
EPRA attributed the increase to higher international costs. The landed cost of imported super petrol rose 11.81% between August and September, with diesel and kerosene up 11.32% and 9.41% respectively. The shilling averaged Ksh129.91 to the US dollar in September, little changed from August.
Prices had been held unchanged in the previous review, when a litre of super petrol cost Ksh214.03 in Nairobi.
Knock-on effects
The rise is expected to feed into transport fares and the cost of goods. Ride-hailing drivers have already threatened protests, demanding a higher minimum fare to offset fuel costs, while kerosene users, many of them low-income households, face the steepest increase.
The regulator has also warned that further increases are possible if global prices keep rising amid continued instability in the Middle East, a key source of Kenya’s fuel imports.
