Motorists using diesel in Kenya are a happy lot, thanks to new fuel prices announced yesterday by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) that will see them pay 34 cents less per litre
This will now see Nairobi residents pay Sh 82.12 per litre down from Sh 82.46.
Mombasa has the least diesel price in Kenya today, with residents paying Sh 78.74 per litre while those in Kisumu are paying the highest at Sh 84.31 per litre.
However, those using petrol will have to pay 17 cents more with those in Nairobi paying Sh 91.56 up from Sh 91.37 while there counterparts in Kisumu and Mombasa are now paying Sh 93.59 and Sh 88.16 respectively.
Elsewhere, kerosene users across the country will now save 39 cents per litter with Nairobi residents paying Sh 58.71 per litre down from Sh 59.10.
Kerosene is now going for 55.88 per litre in Mombasa and Sh 60.67 in Kisumu.
The fluctuation in fuel prices according to ERC is caused by variance in the cost of the landed cost of fuel during the month.
For instance the import costs of petrol was up 0.81 percent while diesel was down 1.31 percent.
The change in fuel prices comes at the time when there is a surge in fuel adulteration cases in the country with players in the industry calling upon ERC to check on suspect fuel stations especially in boarder towns.
While reading the 2016/17 budget, the Treasury Cabinet Secretary announced the re-introduction of excise duty on Kerosene to curb this vice but has since lowered import duty on the product by 15 per cent to curb inflation
Majority of households in Kenya depend on kerosene as their primary fuel, a whopping 88 percent in rural areas.
Their is a global surge in petrol prices, with analysts blaming it on deliberate price hike by OPEC countries and low supply by the US market.
Kuwait for instance increased price of low-octane petrol by 41 percent to 28 cents a liter, the price of high-grade petrol by 61 percent to 35 cents a liter and the price of environmentally friendly “ultra” petrol by 83 percent to 55 cents a unit.
Much waited for relief to many Kenyans.