The April 15 price shock
EPRA raised prices for April 15 – May 14, 2026:
- Super Petrol: KSh 206.97/litre — up KSh 28.69
- Diesel: KSh 206.84/litre — up KSh 40.30
- Kerosene: KSh 152.78/litre — unchanged
Eldoret specifically: Petrol ~KSh 209, Diesel ~KSh 208, Kerosene ~KSh 155
Why the drama?
- Middle East conflict — Crude prices have spiked because of the war, and Kenya imports nearly all its fuel from the Gulf via G-to-G deals
- Landing costs exploded: Petrol +41.5%, Diesel +68.7%, Kerosene +105% from Feb to March
- Without government help it would be worse: Marketers projected petrol could rise KSh 37 and diesel KSh 70 per litre
How govt “cushioned” it
- VAT cut: From 16% → 13% on all fuel
- KSh 6.2B subsidy from the Petroleum Development Levy
- Kerosene: Govt is paying KSh 108.10/litre subsidy — without it, kerosene would be KSh 260/litre
- MT Paloma cargo excluded: CS Wandayi said if that cargo was included, petrol would rise KSh 14 extra
The scandal part
EPRA has new leadership after ex-DG Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria, PS Mohamed Liban, and ex-KPC boss Joe Sang were arrested. Charges: abuse of office, economic crimes, manipulating fuel stock data. New Acting DG Joseph Oketch signed this price review.
Impact
- Queues: People rushed to pump stations April 14 night to fill tanks
- Cost of living: Fares, cargo transport, food prices, power bills are all going up
- Fake news: There was a fake April 1 poster claiming prices would hit KSh 259 — EPRA denied it
Bottom line: Prices are up because of the Middle East crisis, but govt used a VAT cut + KSh 6B+ subsidy to stop them going higher. Plus there are arrests of top energy officials over the fuel saga.
