Relief as Epra keeps fuel prices unchanged for fourth time
A pump attendant service a client at a petrol station in Nairobi. Epra has announced that the current fuel prices will remain in place for a fifth month running.
The energy regulator has kept fuel prices unchanged for the fourth time in a row in the latest monthly review of fuel prices as the government has allocated additional billions towards keeping the fuel subsidy going.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) on Monday, February 14 announced that the current fuel prices would remain in place for a fifth month running, with the last price change recorded in September when fuel prices hit a historic high amid a public outcry.
This means consumers in Nairobi continue to pay Sh129.72 for a litre of petrol, Sh110.6 for diesel and Sh103.54 for kerosene.
“In the period under review, the pump prices of super petrol, diesel and kerosene remain unchanged,” the energy regulator said.
“The prices are inclusive of the 8 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) in line with the provisions of the Finance Act, 2018, the Tax Laws (Amendment) Act, 2020 and the revised rates for excise duty adjusted for inflation as per Legal Notice No. 194 of 2020,” Epra said.
Motorists in Mombasa will continue to pay Sh127.46 per litre of petrol, Sh108.36 for diesel and Sh101.29 while those in Kisumu will pay Sh130.12, Sh111.3 and Sh104.26 for petrol, diesel and kerosene respectively.
Meanwhile, petrol will retail at Sh129.24 in Nakuru, Sh110.43 for diesel and Sh103.39 for kerosene, while motorists in Eldoret will pay Sh130.13, Sh111.32 and Sh104.27 for the three products respectively.
The review comes just days after the National Treasury allocated more funds to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining to compensate fuel suppliers to keep fuel prices stable in a significant boost to the Petroleum Development Levy Fund (PDLF) kitty that has been running on empty.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani, in supplementary budget estimates tabled to Parliament last month for the fiscal year 2022/23, gave the Ministry an additional Sh24.73 billion to continue the fuel subsidy program that is shielding consumers from fluctuating global crude oil prices.
For instance, Epra says petrol prices would have increased by Sh14.53 per litre had the subsidy not been applied, a record high, which would have seen it retail at Sh144.25 per litre at the pump.
Meanwhile, diesel and kerosene would have also hit historic highs of Sh133.89 and Sh119.42 for the same quantity after increasing by Sh23.29 and Sh15.88 respectively.
