Agony for motorists as fuel prices rises, again

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 14th-Motorists will have to dig deeper into their pockets over the next four weeks, with Super petrol going up by Sh6.31 in Nairobi to Sh115.26 a litre and regular petrol now at Sh105.76 a litre.

Following the latest fuel price review by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), diesel is now up by Sh5.04 to retail at Sh106.11 a litre, while kerosene increases by Sh6.36 to Sh86.01 a litre.

“The commission has observed an inconsistent trend in the price of refined petroleum products in the international market over the last one month, making it difficult to predict the effect on pump prices in subsequent price reviews,” Director General of the commission Eng Kaburu Mwirichia said.

Last month the ERC attributed the increase in pump prices to an upward trend in the price of crude and refined petroleum products in the international market over the last three months.

This saw super petrol in Nairobi go up by Sh2.47 to retail at 108.95 a litre, diesel by Sh3.99 to Sh101.07. Kerosene has been retailing at Sh79.65 having gone up Sh5.68 last month.

The new prices announced on Sunday will take effect from Monday, 15th October until the 14th of November.

In Mombasa, super petrol will retail at Sh112.00, diesel at Sh102.87 while kerosene will be selling at Sh83.22.

In Northern Kenya towns like Mandera, residents will buy the commodity at the highest prices with a litre of super petrol going for Sh127.78 a litre, diesel at Sh118.63 and kerosene at Sh98.53.

Nakuru residents will buy a litre of super of petrol at Sh115.83 a litre, diesel at Sh106.92 and kerosene at Sh86.77 while in Kisumu super petrol will retail at Sh117.00 a litre, diesel at Sh108.09 and kerosene at Sh87.79.

Eldoret residents will part with slightly less than their Kisumu counterparts for a litre of super petrol retailing at Sh116.94, diesel at Sh108.03 and kerosene at Sh87.80.

The increase in energy prices has been widely criticized, with the Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK) saying such a move would erode the gains already made on inflation and result in higher electricity, transport and food prices.

The lobby group took the ERC and several oil marketers to court over high fuel costs, which have negatively affected the cost of living. The case will be heard on 31st October.

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