Fuel prices in Kenya have hit an all-time high as marketers continue to hold onto the precious commodity protesting market regulation by the government. It has emerged that marketers are holding onto the fuel to wait on EPRA’s announcement of new prices.
The Energy Petroleum and Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has revealed that oil markets have been shipping fuel out of Kenya to Uganda and Tanzania. The Authority says marketers have increased their export by more than 60 percent and vowed to punish them.
The acute shortage of fuel in Kenya has now entered the third week with the government seemingly clueless on how to handle the situation. A week ago, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed a 33 billion shilling subsidy cash and promised a “normal flow of fuel” and nothing has happened since.
In Kisumu, the little fuel available is going for 200 shillings per liter of super petrol, 250 shillings in Bungoma, and 230 shillings in Kakamega. In Eldoret, the prices are ranging between 180 and 250 shillings per liter of super petrol. In Nairobi, most gas stations are empty and those with fuel are selling as high as 300 shillings per liter. President Uhuru Kenyatta has generally remained mute about the whole issue.
In the past few days, traffic jams have been piling up at gas stations around the country as Kenyans line up in hope of getting fuel. At the same time, some have opted to buy unsafe fuel from hawkers who are moving around with jerricans and selling the commodity at higher prices.
With the shortage of fuel across the country, the inflation rate is set to hit its highest this month. Already the prices of all common commodities have gone up and many others are missing from the shelves. Kenyans are asking; do we have a government in Kenya? Where is President Uhuru Kenyatta? Has he given up on Kenya?
