• Motorists and transporters in Kampala are paying Sh30.73 more per a litre of super petrol.
• Currently, a litre of super petrol is selling at Sh134.72 in Nairobi.
Image: FRANCIS OPENDA
Kenyans are paying up to Sh30 less for fuel compared to Ugandans and Tanzanians.
Motorists in Kampala are paying Sh30.73 more per litre of super petrol while those in Dar es Salaam are paying Sh18.23 more per litre of the same product.
Currently, a litre of super petrol is selling at Sh134.72 in Nairobi.
In Uganda, it's going for Sh141.45 while in Tanzania, it's retailing at Sh144.90.
A litre of diesel in Kampala is Sh25.85 higher, retailing at Sh141.45 compared to Nairobi where it is going for Sh115.60.
In Tanzania, motorists in Dar es Salaam are parting with Sh29.30 more per litre of diesel at Sh144.90.
The same scenario is replicated in kerosene prices.
Ugandan citizens who rely on kerosene for cooking are paying Sh34.46 more for a litre of the product compared to their Kenyans.
In Nairobi, kerosene is retailing at Sh103.54 while in Kampala, it is going for Sh138.
In Dar es Salaam, a litre of kerosene is retailing at Sh40.21 more than in Nairobi. Tanzanians are paying Sh143.75 per litre for the precious commodity.
The above scenario is the exact opposite of what the situation was in September last year when fuel was expensive in Kenya compared to the two countries.
At that time, Kenyans were paying up to Sh19 more for a litre of petrol compared to their neighbours in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda as heavy taxation took a toll on consumers.
This was after fuel prices in Kenya hit a historic high after prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene increased by Sh7.58, Sh7.94 and Sh12.97, respectively.
In Uganda, which imports part of its fuel through the Port of Mombasa, a litre of super petrol was retailing at Sh131 compared to Kenya's Sh134.72.
In Dar es Salaam, a litre of super petrol was retailing at Sh115.26, which was Sh19.46 less than that of Nairobi.
Diesel was going for Sh106.90, kerosene at Sh103.34, compared to Nairobi's pump price of Sh110.82.
Despite being a land-locked country importing its fuel through Tanzania and Kenya, fuel in Rwanda was still cheaper than in Kenya in September 2021.
A litre of petrol and diesel in Kigali was Sh121.08 and Sh110, respectively.
Currently, global fuel prices per barrel stand at $98.4 (Sh11,360.28).
To stabilize prices and make fuel affordable to Kenyans, the government has issued a fuel subsidy.
A litre of super petrol has been subsidized at Sh20.39, a litre of diesel at Sh27.56 while a litre of kerosene has been subsidized at Sh26.90.
Amid these low prices, the country is experiencing an acute shortage of fuel in most fuel stations.
Long queues of motorists and boda boda riders have become a common sight in most urban centres as Kenyans scramble for the liquid gold.
The fuel shortage is being witnessed despite an assurance by the Kenya Pipeline Company that it has sufficient oil reserves in its depots across the country.