Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has ridiculed Epra’s latest fuel price review as inconsequential to Kenyans who are  already burdened by the high cost of living.

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority on Thursday slashed a litre of  petrol and kerosene by Sh1. 

The review put the pump price in Nairobi at Sh185.31 for super petrol, Sh171.58 for diesel and Sh155.58 for kerosene.

“In the period under review, the maximum allowed petroleum pump prices for super petrol and kerosene decreased by Sh1 respectively, while the price of diesel remains unchanged,” Epra director general Daniel Kiptoo said in a statement. 

Nyoro accused the regulator of double standards, noting that in the July–August cycle, it hiked prices sharply by Sh8.99, Sh8.67 and Sh9.65 per litre of super petrol, diesel, and kerosene, respectively.

“They came up yesterday and decided that they are only going to lower only one category of product by only one shilling. I want to remind my brothers and sisters who are in the policy now, in Kenya today, one shilling cannot even buy a sweet,” Nyoro said.

He was speaking on Friday during the graduation ceremony at Gorgeous Technical Institute, Thika Town, Kiambu County.

The MP argued that fuel is central to Kenya’s economy and that changes in pump prices trigger ripple effects on other basic needs through increased production costs.

“When it comes to hiking, you hike for eight or nine shillings. When it comes to dropping, you drop by one shilling,” he said.

Nyoro claimed Kenya has the most unfavourable fuel prices in the East African region, citing Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda as examples of countries paying less, even where fuel transits through Kenya’s port.

“Even Uganda, whose fuel transits via Kenya’s port, is buying fuel at a lower cost than in Kenya. The problem with the costing of Kenyan fuel is taxes and levies, especially the Sh7 levy that was introduced last year,” he said.

According to the legislator, Kenya’s push to grow the economy by raising taxes is backfiring, as higher production costs deter investors.

He further criticised plans to introduce toll stations on major highways such as the Nairobi–Nakuru, Nairobi–Mombasa, and Thika superhighway.

“Roads are public goods, and public goods are supplied by the government for free. We cannot afford to have an economy where the prices of fuel are the highest in the region and then we want to toll the roads. That will make Kenya a very uncompetitive economy, and it will lower the ease of doing business,” Nyoro said.