Senator Aaron Cheruiyot, who also serves as the Senate Majority Leader, has put forward proposals for changes at the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) in anticipation of the fuel price review scheduled for November 14, 2023.
Cheruiyot suggests adjusting the timing of the fuel price announcements to alleviate anxiety among citizens, stating, "We may even have to legislate the time by which they are to speak, to keep us a bit calmer."
He emphasized the unprecedented anticipation for EPRA's monthly price release, noting, "We've never awaited EPRA's monthly price release as we have to do lately."
EPRA traditionally reviews fuel prices every 14th day of the month, but the announcement time has been inconsistent, sometimes occurring minutes before midnight. In the last announcement on October 14, EPRA revealed new fuel prices at 3 p.m., while the September announcement was made at 10 p.m.
During the October review, EPRA increased the price of petrol to Ksh 217.36 per litre, reflecting a hike of Ksh 5.72. Diesel prices rose by Ksh 4.48 to Ksh 205.487, and kerosene prices went up by Ksh 2.45. The authority attributed these increases to a rise in the average landing cost of imported fuel, citing an uptick of 3.93% for petrol, 7.07% for diesel, and 5.01% for kerosene.
Energy CS David Chirchir recently raised concerns, suggesting that petrol prices could reach an all-time high of Ksh 300 if the Israel-Hamas conflict escalates. He referenced international price projections linked to the geopolitical situation and warned about potential repercussions on fuel costs domestically.