The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has pushed back against claims made by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, who blamed local policy shortcomings for the recent fuel price hike.
Speaking during an event on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo insisted that the price increase stems solely from rising global oil costs.
“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,” Kiptoo asserted.
On Tuesday, MP Nyoro had pointed the finger at domestic taxation, arguing that more than Ksh80 per litre of petrol and Ksh76 per litre of diesel go toward government taxes and levies. He also criticized the introduction of an additional Ksh7 per litre levy in 2023, a move he said came when global oil prices were dropping, thus denying Kenyans the benefits of cheaper fuel.
However, Kiptoo defended EPRA’s fuel pricing mechanism, insisting that it strictly reflects international market dynamics.
“We are directly affected by the international crude market. Kenya, like many oil-importing countries, has limited control over these fluctuations,” he explained.
To back his argument, Kiptoo presented a detailed breakdown of recent changes in benchmark prices for key fuel products. He explained that between May and June 2025, benchmark prices for key fuel products saw significant jumps.
“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,” Kiptoo said.
He continued, “Diesel 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 emphasized that these international price shifts directly influenced the pump price adjustments EPRA announced on Monday.
He reiterated that EPRA’s role is to ensure transparent and fair pricing by applying a formula that passes international cost changes directly to consumers.
“Our role is to ensure fair pricing, and that includes passing down international cost implications, whether they are increases or reductions,” he said, reinforcing that the agency does not arbitrarily set prices but strictly follows a formula tied to international benchmarks.
