State Orders Removal of Costly Fuel Shipment to Protect Pump Prices

Kenya, 7 April 2026 - The government has blocked a high-priced fuel consignment from entering the Kenyan market, warning that it could have pushed pump prices up and disrupted recent gains in price stability.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi ordered the immediate withdrawal of a 60,000-metric-tonne shipment of super petrol imported outside the Government-to-Government (G-to-G) framework.

The consignment, brought in by One Petroleum Ltd, was priced at KSh 198,000 per metric tonne, far above the KSh 140,000 benchmark under the G-to-G arrangement.

“This consignment… would result in an approximate rise of KSh 14 per litre in pump prices on this consignment alone,” Wandayi said.

To prevent the impact from reaching consumers, the government directed the company to cancel all invoices issued to oil marketers and instead issue credit notes. Oil Marketing Companies have also been instructed not to pay for or collect the fuel.

Wandayi further ordered that the shipment be removed from the country, while the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) will exclude it from fuel price calculations.