Kenyans will pay more for liquified petroleum gas (LPG) in the coming days, even as taxation, freight and landed costs push up the price of the important commodity.
The prices are expected to go up by at least 15 percent, pushing the cost of refilling a 6kg cylinder to Ksh1,500 from the current price of Ksh1,400. The price of refilling a 13kg cylinder will hit an all-time high of Ksh3,300 from the current price of Ksh3,000.
Freight charges increased by 20 percent in February, adding to the 16 percent VAT sting that was re-introduced in July 2021.
The government has been relying on a subsidy programme to keep down the prices of Kerosene, Petrol and diesel.
In February, the price of a litre of diesel would have shot to a record high of Ksh133.89 per litre in Nairobi, according to tabulations by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra), had it not been for the subsidy.
The subsidy programme also cut the prices of kerosene and super petrol costs by Ksh15.88 and Ksh14.53 respectively.
On the global arena, on Thursday, Brent futures were down $2.47, or 2.2%, to $110.46 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $2.93, or 2.6%, to $107.67.
Despite the fall, oil prices are still on a record high, following Russia’s invasion on Ukraine over territorial conflicts.
Russia exports 4 to 5 million barrels per day, which is more than any other nation other than Saudi Arabia.
