Kenyans will pay up to Sh12.93 more for a litre of super petrol, Sh9.90 more for diesel and Sh28.49 more for kerosene from midnight on October 15, after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) announced higher maximum pump prices on Wednesday, October 14, because the cost of imported fuel has risen, landing the increase just as inflation sits at 6.8%.
In Nairobi, super petrol now costs up to Sh226.96 a litre, up 6% from Sh214.03, while diesel rises 4.5% to Sh227.76 from Sh217.86 and kerosene jumps 14.9% to Sh219.87 from Sh191.38.
The prices apply until November 14. A 50-litre tank of petrol now costs Sh11,348, about Sh646 more than before, while 10 litres of kerosene costs Sh284.90 more.
EPRA said the increase reflects the higher weighted average cost of imported refined fuel in the review period. Kenya imports all its fuel in refined form, and the landed cost of diesel rose 11.32% and that of kerosene 9.41%.
Pump prices still include VAT at the reduced rate of 8%. EPRA also said it let kerosene rise faster than diesel because a wide price gap between the two could encourage fuel adulteration.
Now consider inflation. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reported that annual inflation rose to 6.8% in September from 6.6% in August, only 0.7 percentage points below the 7.5% upper limit of the Central Bank's target range.
Transport inflation was already the highest of any category at 15.6%, with food at 9.5%, and core inflation rose to 4%. Fuel feeds directly into both transport and food prices, so the increase is likely to show up in matatu fares, the cost of moving goods and shop prices in the coming weeks.
The central bank has flagged the risk. On October 7, its Monetary Policy Committee kept the Central Bank Rate at 8.75%, but warned that higher energy prices could push up inflation.
Kerosene, which many households use for cooking and lighting, rose fastest, so the increase falls hardest on poorer families. Diesel matters for the cost of food, because it powers lorries and public service vehicles.
The longer view is sobering. Compared with December 2025, when Nairobi petrol was Sh184.52, diesel Sh171.47 and kerosene Sh154.78, petrol is now about 23% higher, diesel about 33% higher and kerosene about 42% higher, by our calculation.
Traders should expect higher delivery costs. The next review is on November 14 and the October inflation figures will show how much of this increase reaches consumers.
