Consumers grapple with uneven fuel supply

Bodaboda riders queue at Rubis petrol station in Kachok, Kisumu, as the country continues to face a fuel shortage.

Despite government assurances that the country has sufficient fuel stocks, the situation on the ground paints a mixed picture, with some stations dispensing fuel steadily while others face uncertainty and sporadic shortages.

 In Nairobi, a spot check across several stations by The Saturday Standard, including those operated by major marketers such as Shell, Rubis and Total revealed that many outlets still have fuel, although anxiety over a potential price hike is shaping both consumer and dealer behavior.

 At a Rubis station along Enterprise Road, attendants maintained that supply remained stable. At least for now.

 “We have fuel. You can see we are fueling, and we don’t expect the stock to go down. They have said there is stock. Maybe it is just the price that will go up,” said one of the station's managers who did not want to be mentioned.

 However, the attendant pointed to suspected hoarding practices within the supply chain as a possible driver of artificial shortages.

 “It is these rogue traders who are hoarding fuel waiting for the price to increase. It is something you can hold for just about a week and make profit,” he added. 

At Africa Fuel along Jogoo Road, the tone was more cautious. While fuel was still available at the time, staff expressed uncertainty about how long it would last.

“We have fuel, but it can get depleted anytime from now. We don’t know when another supply will come,” said an attendant, underscoring the unpredictability facing dealers. 

However, Mumo Alex, a supervisor at Ola Energy at Enterprise- Luksaka Road junction, said their station has enough fuel to last several days.

“We have fuel that can last us until next Tuesday, and we are expecting more stock next week as well,” he said.

Yet still, he acknowledged growing concerns over pricing. “I believe fuel is available, but the price is likely to go up,” Alex added.

According to Alex, demand has surged as motorists rush to fill up ahead of the next review. 

“We are selling more than before because customers have increased. There are many new customers compared to before,” he said.

To manage the situation and ensure fairness, some stations have introduced limits on how much fuel each customer can purchase.

“We are limiting sales to Sh4,000 so that our regular customers do not miss out on fuel,” Alex explained. 

For motorists, however, the experience remains frustrating and inconsistent. Daniel Mwendwa, a trader from Gikomba, recounted his struggle to find fuel across multiple stations before eventually succeeding.

“I went around several petrol stations nearby, moving from one to another, and I did not find fuel,” he said.

 In towns along and centers along Nakuru-Nairobi highway, fuel shortage has knocked at their doorstep, catching motorists flat-footed .

 The scarcity, The Saturday Standard established, started yesterday evening in most major petrol stations resulting in their shutting down with few remaining with the fuel products experiencing long ques of motorists seeking to refuel their cars . 

In Limuru town yesterday as early as 6:30 pm motorists were in panic mode as they moved from one station to another looking for fuel with some cars stalling along the roads and were pushed beside .

An attendant who did not want to be mentioned told this publication that the problem actually started on Wednesday but on a small scale . 

“We had to shut down a few pumps and when a few people realised there was a looming shortage they fueled in panic and depleted all our stock, so far we have no communication and we are as stranded as our customers ,”he said .

 John Njoroge, a frustrated motorist narrated how he had circled around the highway looking for fuel, something that depleted the little that was in the tank and eventually his car stalled. 

“I started looking for fuel past Rironi shopping center. I had hoped that since Limuru is a big town with numerous petrol stations I would get some fuel, now I am stranded and I must use a motorbike and a can to look for fuel," he decried 

 "This is wrong and the government should have told us that we are expecting a shortage but instead they told us that there is plenty of oil and we believed them,” Njoroge added

Peter Chege, a boda boda operator, said that they were only allowed to fuel petrol worth 200 shillings only to have as many of them get the commodity.

 “This is fuel cannot sustain me in one day , this bike is 150 cc engine capacity and we do a lot of trips between Nakuru Nairobi highway and the villages including taking children to school and getting them back,” Chege said . 

This even as the government insists that the country has sufficient fuel in all its terminals and depots

 In a statement released on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) highlighted that it operates a 1,342-kilometre pipeline network linking the Port of Mombasa to major inland depots in Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret, and Kisumu.

The network is supported by modern storage facilities with a combined capacity of over one billion litres, enabling the company to maintain strategic stocks and ensure consistent supply. 

“Kenya Pipeline Company PLC (KPC PLC) has noted with concern reports of shortage of fuel in petrol stations across the country. We wish to assure the public that there is sufficient fuel in all of our terminals and depots and that the products meet national and international quality standards as prescribed by relevant certification bodies,” KPC stated.

There have also been reports of fuel-hoarding by some stations in the country, with the government warning firms of imposing Sh10 million fine should they be found culpable.

On Friday, the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) said fuel is “an essential commodity that underpins economic activity and public welfare.”  

In a statement, it warned that any deliberate attempt to create artificial scarcity or manipulate prices is prohibited under the Competition Act. 

“Any deliberate attempt by suppliers, distributors or retailers of fuel products to withhold supply from the market to create artificial scarcity, manipulate prices or gain unfair commercial advantage is a prohibited practice under the Act,” the authority posted on its X account.  

Despite the assurances, majority of those who spoke to The Saturday Standard described the disruption as not just an inconvenience, but a serious blow to his business operations.

“You cannot start a journey if your car does not have fuel. This situation has really affected us,” said Mwendwa.

“It has affected my business a lot because I cannot transport my goods as planned. If you try to deliver and the car runs out of fuel, you are forced to stop and wait,” Mwendwa added, expressing skepticism about official assurances that fuel is readily available.

“The government says there is fuel, but when you go to where it is being sold, you do not find it. That makes us believe that prices might increase soon,” he said. 

According to Richard Kyalo who operates a boda boda business around Nairobi's South B and C areas said he might be forced to stay home if the situation persists, fearing that the cost of fuel may increase in the next price review.  

"A customer who is used to paying Sh100 within a specific distance will tell you they can only afford that despite using more to purchase fuel," he said.

 The shortage is also stoking fears of rising living costs even as consumers urge the government to not only restore supply but also resist increasing pump prices.

 “Life is already difficult. If fuel prices go up, everything else will rise—even basic items like milk,” said Kyalo.