Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has claimed that Kenyans could end up digging deeper into their pockets to pay for fuel prices.
According to Chirchir, fuel prices could go to as high as Sh. 300 per litre because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Chirchir made the claims when he appeared before the National Dialogue Committee on Monday.
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“I read an article in the Financial Times the other day that because of the Hamas and Israeli War, the international prices could go up to USD150 and that would literally mean our products going to a high of Sh. 300 at the pump,” said CS Chirchir.
The statement by Chirchir has now damped any hopes Kenyans had of the government lowering fuel prices. Currently, a litre of super petrol is retailing at Sh. 217.36 per litre. A litre of kerosene is going for Sh. 205.06 while a litre of diesel is going for Sh. 205.47 per litre.
“We are almost managing scaling the heights as we chew the gum every day to make sure we do manage this frame,” CS Chirchir said.
”These are products which are real drivers of inflation so we are conscious working on it on a day-to-day basis to make sure that although it’s a global challenge we do obtain the best prices for our country.”
According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), the current prices which are historically the highest in Kenya are inclusive of the 16 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) in line with the provisions of the Finance Act 2023, the Tax Laws (Amendment) Act 2020 and the revised rates for excise duty adjusted for inflation as per Legal Notice No. 194 of 2020.
Fuel prices have also deteriorated since the inauguration into office of the current President William Ruto. As at August 2022, a litre of super petrol was selling at Sh. 159.
