Kenya: Kerosene price jumps by 28.49 shillings, matatus increase fares by 10%

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) of Kenya raised the maximum fuel prices on October 14, 2026, for the period running from October 15 to November 14. In Nairobi, the price of a liter of kerosene rose from 191.38 to 219.87 shillings, an increase of 28.49 shillings, according to figures published by the Kenyan media outlet Tech-ish. Super petrol climbed by 12.93 shillings to 226.96 shillings, and diesel by 9.90 shillings to 227.76 shillings.

Kerosene is taking the most brutal hit: nearly a 15% increase in one month. It is also the fuel that the most modest Kenyan households use for cooking and lighting.

Matatus follow suit, and users pay

The very next day, the president of the Matatu Owners Association, Albert Karakacha, asked his members to increase their fares by 10% with immediate effect, reports The Kenya Times. He apologized to parents who had already finalized their transport budgets for the start of the school year and reminded President William Ruto of his commitment, made in May 2026 in Mombasa, to lower diesel prices by 10 shillings per liter.

A gap that motorists want explained

The Motorists Association of Kenya is challenging the calculation method. It notes that supply costs increased by 11.81% for petrol, 11.32% for diesel, and 9.41% for kerosene, while pump prices rose by 6.04%, 4.54%, and 14.89% respectively. The association is demanding the publication of the calculations, an independent audit of the government-to-government fuel import agreement, and a revision of taxation. It is threatening peaceful protests.

EPRA Director General Edward Kinyua estimated that September was the worst month for import costs since the start of the war in the Middle East. Kenya imports all of its refined fuel, the price of which is calculated upon landing in Mombasa. The shilling remained stable at around 129.8 to the dollar.

EPRA Director General Edward Kinyua estimated that September was the worst month for import costs since the start of the war in the Middle East. Kenya imports all of its refined fuel, the price of which is calculated upon landing in Mombasa. The shilling remained stable at around 129.8 to the dollar.

What comes next

The pattern is familiar from one end of the continent to the other: a state that imports all of its refined fuel passes every shock from the global market on to its citizens, without any buffer.

The pattern is familiar from one end of the continent to the other: a state that imports all of its refined fuel passes every shock from the global market on to its citizens, without any buffer. The Kenyan debate over the transparency of EPRA's calculations is also, at its core, a debate about the refining and storage capacity that Africa has not built.