After the government partially removed subsidies that protected customers from the global increase in oil prices, fuel costs have increased once more in Kenya.
Late on Wednesday night, the energy regulator announced that it had eliminated the super fuel subsidy while keeping a lower subsidy for diesel and kerosene.
Super gasoline, which is primarily used by private drivers, will now cost about 179 shillings ($1.5) per liter, up from 1.3 dollars, while diesel, which is used by businesses and transportation companies, will cost about 1.4 dollars in Nairobi, the country’s capital.
It will cost roughly $1.20 per liter of kerosene, which is primarily used by low-income people for lighting and cooking.
In his inaugural speech on Tuesday, President William Ruto described fuel and food subsidies as “expensive and useless.”
Ruto reiterated his commitment to bringing down the cost of living as a top priority after taking office, saying on Sunday that Kenya was “in a deep economic hole.”
The once-in-a-generation drought is crippling the East African political and economic powerhouse, and inflation is at five-year highs. Following a rebound in which the nation’s economy grew by 7.5 percent the previous year, the World Bank predicted in june that Kenya’s (GDP) would increase by 5.5 percent in 2022.
