If you have been feeling the pinch at the petrol station this week, you are not imagining it. The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has warned that Kenyans could face even higher fuel prices in the coming months if the conflict in the Middle East keeps disrupting global oil supplies. EPRA Director-General Edward Mwirigi Kinyua made the statement while appearing before the Special Funds Accounts Committee in Parliament on Thursday, October 15.
The latest increase was announced on Wednesday, October 14, and it has hit hard. In Nairobi, a litre of petrol now goes for Ksh226.96, diesel for Ksh227.76, and kerosene for Ksh219.87. Mwirigi said this is one of the sharpest jumps in petrol, diesel and kerosene prices that Kenya has seen this year. He blamed it on disruptions to fuel supplies from the Gulf region, which he said have pushed up what importers pay for fuel before it even reaches the country.
According to Mwirigi, attacks on fuel infrastructure and on ships carrying fuel forced importers to look for other sources, Singapore among them. Those products were more expensive, and that cost went straight into the pump prices we see today. He also described September as the worst month for fuel prices since the war in the region broke out, saying the price of super petrol on the international market had more than doubled over that period. That is a hard pill for a country where many families already count every shilling.
Parliament was not shy about asking hard questions. Several MPs wanted to know why EPRA went ahead with the increase when President William Ruto had assured Kenyans back in May 2026 that pump prices would remain stable. Lawmakers also asked whether the public had been properly informed about the supply problems, including reports that two fuel vessels had been attacked. Mwirigi defended the decision and insisted that Kenya’s fuel prices still compare well with those of our neighbours, even though global supply challenges are putting pressure on import costs.
There is a small bit of good news in all this. Parliament has moved to pass the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, sponsored by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah. The Bill seeks to keep the reduced VAT rate of 8 per cent on petrol, diesel and kerosene for another three months, instead of letting it go back to the standard 16 per cent. If it is signed into law, that will cushion the blow a little, though it will not wipe out the increase already on the pumps.
Still, the ripple effects are already being felt. Matatu owners have signalled that fares could go up by as much as 10 per cent following the latest EPRA review. For a daily commuter in Nairobi, that means spending more just to get to work, and for a boda boda rider or a small trader, it means higher costs for everything they move around the city.
So what should you do? Keep an eye on the EPRA monthly review, plan your fuel budget carefully, and where possible, share rides or use public transport to cut costs. The coming weeks will tell us whether the situation in the Middle East calms down or gets worse. For now, the message from EPRA is clear: the pain at the pump may not be over yet.
