The Director General of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), Daniel Kiptoo, has firmly rejected assertions by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro that domestic policy inefficiencies are behind the recent fuel price hike.  

Speaking at an event on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, Kiptoo clarified that the increase is entirely due to rising international oil prices.

 “The increase is purely on account of the spike in international prices. Any insinuation that this is due to internal mismanagement or policy failures is not accurate,” he said.

His comments follow public criticism from MP Nyoro, who urged the government to re-evaluate taxation policies and streamline the supply chain to ease pressure at the pump.

 “We must address the root causes locally. Kenyans are paying the price for inefficiencies that can be corrected,” Nyoro stated.

“Global oil prices peaked last year, not this year. It is clear that the government is using false narratives to justify high pump prices.”

Nyoro’s assertion

Nyoro pointed to domestic taxation as the real culprit behind the soaring costs, saying more than Ksh80 per litre of petrol and Ksh76 for other fuels are swallowed by taxes and levies.

He further revealed that in 2023, the government quietly introduced a Ksh7 per litre levy at a time when global oil prices were dropping, denying Kenyans the benefits of falling international rates.

However, Kiptoo countered by pointing to sharp increases in global crude oil prices, citing international data that EPRA used in its July 15 pricing review.

“We are directly affected by the international crude market. Kenya, like many oil-importing countries, has limited control over these fluctuations,” he explained.

He gave a detailed breakdown of the changes in benchmark prices that contributed to the surge.

“For Super petrol, the May price was Ksh 671.79 per barrel, rising to Ksh 716.94 in June, a Ksh 45.15 increase, or 6.78 per cent. For diesel, we saw a jump from Ksh 563.00 to Ksh 616.47, a Ksh 53.47 increase, or 9.33 per cent. Kerosene also rose from Ksh 598.43 to Ksh 647.20 — a Ksh 48.77 rise, or 8.15 per cent,” Kiptoo noted.

“These are the movements that explain the increase in pump prices announced on Monday,” he added.

He emphasised that EPRA’s pricing formula is designed to transparently reflect such global trends.

“Our role is to ensure fair pricing, and that includes passing down international cost implications, whether they are increases or reductions,” Kiptoo said.