Motorists across the country will dig deeper into their pockets after Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) announced a sharp increase in fuel prices for the April–May cycle.
In the latest review released on Tuesday, EPRA raised the price of Super Petrol by Ksh28.69 per litre and Diesel by Ksh40.30 per litre. The price of kerosene, however, has not changed.
With the new changes, Super Petrol will now sell at Ksh206.97, Diesel at Ksh206.84, and Kerosene at Ksh152.78 in Nairobi. The new prices took effect at midnight and will run for the next 30 days.
EPRA said the increase has mainly been caused by the rising cost of fuel in the international market.
To try and ease the pressure on Kenyans, the government reduced VAT on fuel from 16 per cent to 13 per cent. It will also use about Ksh6.2 billion from the Petroleum Development Levy to help keep prices from going even higher.
Still, despite these efforts, the increase is one of the biggest seen in recent months.
EPRA also noted that some fuel delivered earlier by One Petroleum through the MT Paloma ship was not included when calculating the new prices, following a government directive.
Data from the regulator shows the cost of importing fuel has gone up sharply. The price of Super Petrol rose by over 40 per cent between December last year and January 2026. Diesel and kerosene also recorded big increases during the same period.
Prices will vary slightly in different towns. In Mombasa, motorists will pay around Ksh203.69 for petrol and Ksh203.56 for diesel. In Nakuru and Kisumu, prices are slightly higher, with petrol going above Ksh206 per litre.
The increase comes just weeks after the Ministry of Energy had assured Kenyans that the country had enough fuel in stock, raising hopes that prices might remain stable.
Instead, the latest review has brought more pressure to households and businesses already struggling with the high cost of living.
With fuel prices going up, transport costs are also expected to rise, and this could push the prices of goods and services even higher in the coming weeks.
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