Petroleum association cites global market pressures ahead of EPRA pricing review
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, April 14, 2026The Petroleum Outlets Association of Kenya chairperson, Martin Chomba, has revealed why the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) is likely to announce a fuel increment in Kenya on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, as the authority is set to announce new pump pricing with the industry. Chomba has cited pressures in the global market and low local control over petroleum prices.
Speaking in an interview with a local radio station on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, Martin Chomba said that the price change is expected to be unavoidable because Kenya depends a lot on imported petroleum products. He, Chomba, pointed out that domestically, there is no capacity to produce oil in the country, and they are vulnerable to international fluctuations in fuel prices.
“Kenya does not produce its own petroleum. We cannot sit and say our prices are going to remain the same. If the giant oil producers increase their prices, what leverage do we have? So either way the prices are going up,” Chomba said.
According to Chomba, the effect of the price actions undertaken by major oil-producing countries is that even countries such as Kenya do not have much power to fully protect consumers when they do so. Consequently, any increase in the world oil prices will automatically be transferred to the local market.
Call for government subsidy
The chairman of the Petroleum Outlets Association of Kenya also made an addition that it is not a question of whether the prices will rise, but the level at which the government will step in to cushion the consumers with subsidies.
“The issue is, to what level is the government going to subsidise the cost of petroleum?” Chomba added.
PD/Philip Kamakya
He observed that fuel pricing is an act which is challenging to balance. When the government gives higher subsidies, it takes the burden, and the resulting cost can be a burden on the public finances. Conversely, cutting subsidies directly impacts Kenyan consumers, leading to an increase in the cost of living.
“Someone would have to bear the heat in one way or another, be it the government or the Kenyan citizen,” he concluded.
The announcement made by EPRA is likely to influence the tone of transport expenses, inflation, and the general cost of living in the coming weeks, as fuel prices continue to be one of the most crucial stimulating factors of any economic activity in the country.