Energy Cabinet Secretary David Chirchir has brought bad news to Kenyans yet again, stating that fuel prices will rise this month owing to the current Israel-Hamas conflict.
Chirchir, who spoke before the National Dialogue Committee (NDC) on Monday, warned Kenyans to brace themselves for further agony at the pump because the conflict could increase prices up to Sh300 per gallon.
This is likely to affect manufacturers hard, as well as Kenyans who are already feeling the pinch from rising commodity prices.
“I read an article in The Financial Times the other day that because of the Hamas and Israeli War, the international prices could go up to USD150 and that would literally mean our products going to a high of Ksh300 at the pump,” CS Chirchir told the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The CS was addressing to concerns about what the ministry is doing to help Kenyans cope with growing living costs.
A litre of petrol currently costs Ksh217, the highest price in history.
Kenyans began the year with petrol priced at Ksh177 per litre.
The withdrawal of the subsidy and an increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel from 8% to 16% caused the commodity’s price to reach an all-time high.
