Households to Pay more for Cooking Gas as Prices Shoot to a 27-Month High

Kenyan households will be forced to continue paying more for cooking gas as the prices have increased to a 27- month high in the month of November.

According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the cost of refilling a 13-kilogram gas cylinder rose to an average of 2,187 shillings in September, up from 2,170 shillings in June, making it the highest since June 2016.

In July 2017, the cost of refilling a 13-kilogram gas cylinder was 2,073 shillings.

Increased cooking gas prices come in after the government scrapped value added tax (VAT)on clean fuel so as to help cut costs and boost uptake among poor households who rely on kerosene and charcoal for cooking.

Prices stood at an average 2,231 shillings in June 2016 and dropped to below 2,000 shillings in October, four months after the scrapping of the 16 percent VAT.

The price has, however, been on a steady climb since last August in line with rising petroleum cost, according to KNBS.

Kenya has since 2010 been controlling diesel, petrol and kerosene costs. Oil prices are reviewed mid-month on a number of market factors, including the price of crude.

The ERC has plans to start publishing cooking gas prices to enable consumers to push cash-hungry dealers to lower the cost of the commodity.

Gas has become the preferred energy source for households that can afford it in major towns, due to its convenience and cleanliness when compared to cooking fuel and charcoal whose cost jumped 68 percent to Sh137.39 for a four-kilogram tin

Charcoal prices have risen faster in the past few months due to a ban on logging in government efforts to improve forest cover.