The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority appears to have bowed to pressure and on Wednesday maintained fuel prices to last month’s reading after local dailies including the Star warned of impending increase, leading to public uproar.
Prices of super petrol, diesel and kerosene to remain unchanged for the next one month up to May 14 when next review is due,’’ EPRA said without giving reason for retaining retail prices.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) said a litre of petrol will continue trading at Sh122.81 in Nairobi, diesel Sh107.66 and a litre of Kerosene to retail at Sh97.85 for the one month to May 14.
This, despite the landed cost of petrol increasing 9.27 per cent to $4491.50 per cubic metre compared to $449.82 in February. A cubic metre of diesel and kerosene also rose by 4.77 and 7.29 per cent respectively.
Economists had warned of tougher living condition for households in the country already pressed by vagaries of Covid-19 should President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime added a dime on already skyrocketing fuel prices.
This even as a latest report on effects of Covid-19 by the Consortium of Research on Governance (CORG) reveal that 74 per cent of families in the country are currently struggling to afford basic needs.
Although there are other factors that influence the cost of living including availability of rainfall for agriculture, cost of credit among others, a jump in fuel prices has a spiral effect on cost of power, transport and overall production.
