NAIROBI, KENYA: Motorists will pay more for Petrol and Diesel beginning midnight following adjustment by Sh7.63 and Sh5.75 per litre respectively.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) did not also spare households relying on Kerosene as a source of power after adjusting upwards the price of Kerosene by Sh5.41 per litre.
In Nairobi, motorists will pay Sh122.81 for Super Petrol, Sh107.66 for diesel and Sh97.85 for households who depend on Kerosene while in Mombasa price for petrol diesel and kerosene has been adjusted to Sh120.41, Sh105.27 and Sh95.46 respectively.
Kisumu motorists will pay Sh123.36, Sh108.46 and Sh98.68 for Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene respectively.
In a press statement, the regulator said the March-April changes are a consequence of the average landed cost of imported Super Petrol increasing by 14.97 per cent from US dollar 391.24 in January 2021 to US dollar 449.82 per cubic metre in February 2021.
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“Diesel increased by 12.29 per cent from US dollar 377.55 per cubic metre to US dollar 423.95 per cubic metre and Kerosene increased by 13.26 per cent from US dollar 347.19 per cubic metre to US dollar 393.23 per cubic metre,” said EPRA.
The free on board price of Murban crude oil lifted in January according to EPRA was posted at US dollar 61.61 per barrel an increase of 11.47 per cent from US dollar 55.27 per barrel in January.
“Over the same period, the mean monthly US dollar to Kenya shilling exchange rate appreciated by 0.20 per cent from Sh108.89 per dollar in January to Sh109.67 per dollar in February.”
EPRA’s move to hike the prices follows a similar move last month which attracted criticism with many saying hiking of fuel prices doesn’t board well with an economy where a lot of Kenyans have lost jobs and can’t even put a decent meal on the table.
As a result of the containment measures, already, transport costs have shot up and now an increase in the price of fuel will only worsen the situation.
Currently, the cost of fuel has risen to its highest level since July 2019. This has been attributed to an increase in the cost of global crude oil.
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) condemned the move, terming it “insensitive” to the suffering population because it would lead to the increased cost of consumer products.
“Cotu views this move by the authority as an affront to workers and Kenyans as a whole, and demands for the Energy ministry’s immediate intervention in the matter to avoid any imminent confrontation that the government is likely to attract from workers and the rest of Kenyans,” Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli said.
But Epra acting Director-General Daniel Bargoria said the increase was necessitated by the relaxation of the Covid-19 containment measures, as economies globally were restarted.
“The matter of pricing is emotive and concerning to many Kenyans because of the Covid-19 pandemic that has slammed the economy,” he said.
Competitive
“After benchmarking globally, the demand for crude oil has considerably risen leading to the high prices in its importation,” he said last month justifying the new prices.
