The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has raised maximum retail pump prices for super petrol and diesel for the April 15 to May 14, 2026 cycle, passing on the full weight of a Middle East-driven supply shock that has more than doubled the landed cost of imported fuel in a single pricing window.
- •In Nairobi, super petrol now retails at KSh 206.97 per litre, up KSh 28.69 from KSh 178.28, while diesel rises KSh 40.30 to an all-time high of KSh 206.84.
- •The diesel increase is the largest single-month jump for any petroleum product in at least 21 years of price records, surpassing the previous record of KSh 25.00 set in September 2022 by 61%.
- •At KSh 206.84, diesel has never been more expensive in Kenya's history, while super petrol at KSh 206.97 is its highest level since January 2024.
Kerosene remains unchanged at KSh 152.78.
The increases reflect cargoes discharged between March 9 and April 10, 2026, the first pricing window to fully capture the impact of the February 28 US-Israel strikes on Iran and the subsequent disruption of Strait of Hormuz shipping route, through which approximately 20% of the world's oil supply passes.
The average landed cost of diesel rose 68.72% from US$636.45 per cubic metre in February to US$1,073.82 in March. Kerosene jumped 105.15% from US$639.48 to US$1,311.93 over the same period, while super petrol increased 41.53% from US$582.11 to US$623.87. The USD/KSh exchange rate used in the computation was 130.08, reflecting a marginally weaker shilling that amplified the dollar-denominated cost shock at the local level.
As of late March, the country held only 16 days of petrol and 19 days of diesel, both below the regulatory minimum of 21 days. With global oil prices elevated and Strait of Hormuz disruptions persisting, pressure on the May pricing cycle is unlikely to ease.
The price increases will feed directly into inflation. Fuel is a key cost driver across transport, food supply chains, and manufacturing, meaning the April shock will take weeks to fully work through to consumer prices. The Central Bank of Kenya had already flagged rising global oil prices as a growing inflation concern in its April 10 weekly bulletin.
Government deploys cushioning tools
The increases would have been considerably steeper without government intervention. Oil marketers had projected petrol could rise by up to KSh 37 per litre and diesel by as much as KSh 70 before stabilisation measures were applied.
The government cut VAT on petroleum products from 16% to 13% via Legal Notice No. 69 dated April 14, 2026, and deployed approximately KSh 6.2 billion from the Petroleum Development Levy Fund to stabilise pump prices. The price stabilisation deficit absorbed per litre stands at KSh 4.68 for petrol and KSh 23.92 for diesel.
The kerosene subsidy is the most striking figure in the release. The stabilisation deficit on kerosene stands at KSh 108.10 per litre, meaning the product would retail at approximately KSh 260 per litre without government intervention, nearly double the current pump price of KSh 152.78. The full weight of that gap is being absorbed by the Petroleum Development Levy Fund, shielding low-income households from a price shock that would have been among the most severe in the product's history.
The Fuel Import Saga
Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi told a parliamentary committee on April 13 that had the controversial One Petroleum cargo been included in the computation, petrol prices would have risen by an additional KSh 14 per litre above the announced figure.
The announcement was signed by Dr. (Eng.) Joseph Oketch as Acting Director General, making this the first price release under new leadership following the arrest of former DG Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria. Bargoria, former Petroleum Principal Secretary Mohamed Liban, and former Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director Joe Sang face charges including abuse of office and economic crimes, linked to alleged manipulation of fuel stock data and irregular procurement outside the Government-to-Government framework.
The MT Paloma cargo was explicitly excluded from the price computation per a prior government directive, a decision that kept pump prices lower than they would otherwise have been.
