EPRA Sets Fuel Prices for March-April 2026 — Here Is What You Will Pay

Petrol, diesel, and kerosene prices hold steady across Kenya as the regulator absorbs higher landed costs — but the shadow of the Middle East conflict and a threatened Strait of Hormuz closure continue to loom large.

By Our Business Correspondent | Nairobi, Kenya | March 16, 2026

KENYAN motorists and households can breathe a cautious sigh of relief this week after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) announced that the prices of Super Petrol, Diesel, and Kerosene will remain unchanged for the March-April pricing cycle — a decision that ends weeks of anxious speculation triggered by escalating tensions in the Middle East and growing fears of a global supply disruption.

In an announcement released on Saturday, March 14, EPRA confirmed that pump prices across the country’s major cities will hold at their current levels for the next 30 days, offering a measure of stability to millions of Kenyans for whom fuel costs directly shape the price of food, transport, and everyday goods.

The freeze, however, comes against a backdrop of rising import costs — and with significant uncertainty still swirling around global oil supply chains.

The Numbers: What You Will Pay at the Pump

EPRA’s confirmed retail prices for the March-April cycle, inclusive of the 16 per cent Value Added Tax in line with the Finance Act 2023, the Tax Laws (Amendment) Act 2024, and revised inflation-adjusted excise duty rates, are as follows:

Nairobi

Mombasa

Nakuru

Eldoret

Mombasa continues to offer some of the lowest pump prices in the country, a function of its proximity to the Port of Mombasa through which the bulk of Kenya’s petroleum imports arrive.

The Hidden Pressure: Import Costs Are Rising

While pump prices have held steady, the figures behind the scenes tell a more uncomfortable story. EPRA’s data for the review period reveals that the landed cost of all three petroleum products increased during the January-to-February window — with Diesel and Kerosene recording particularly sharp jumps.

The average landed cost of imported Super Petrol rose by 1.00 per cent, climbing from Ksh74,520.76 (US$576.34) per cubic metre in January to Ksh75,266.82 (US$582.11) per cubic metre in February. Diesel recorded a steeper increase of 8.46 per cent, rising from Ksh75,873.24 (US$586.80) per cubic metre to Ksh82,292.99 (US$636.45). Kerosene — the fuel most relied upon by low-income households for cooking and lighting — increased by 6.79 per cent, from Ksh77,427.43 (US$598.82) to Ksh82,684.76 (US$639.48) per cubic metre over the same period.

The fact that pump prices have not moved despite these import cost increases suggests the regulator has absorbed some of the pressure within the pricing formula — a decision that will be welcomed by consumers but which is unlikely to be sustainable indefinitely if global oil prices continue their upward trajectory.

“Despite fears that the situation in Iran could lead to drastic hikes, most of the shipments reviewed were February-priced cargoes, meaning the ongoing Middle East situation had not yet impacted current fuel prices.” — EPRA, March 14, 2026

The Middle East Factor: A Crisis Deferred, Not Avoided

The reason Kenyans were watching this pricing announcement so closely is no mystery. For weeks, escalating tensions surrounding Iran and intensifying threats to close the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow but strategically critical waterway through which approximately 21 per cent of the world’s oil supply passes — have raised the spectre of a severe disruption to global petroleum supply chains.

Kenya is particularly exposed. The country relies heavily on Gulf imports under government-to-government fuel supply agreements, with significant volumes sourced from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — both of which ship their exports through the Strait of Hormuz. Any sustained closure or disruption of that waterway would feed directly and rapidly into Kenyan pump prices.

For now, EPRA has confirmed that the current pricing cycle was calculated on the basis of vessels received and discharged between February 10 and March 9 — meaning the shipments in question were largely contracted and priced before the latest escalation in regional tensions. The crisis, in other words, has not yet arrived in Kenya’s fuel prices. The operative word is yet.

Government Moves to Calm Public Fears

Ahead of the EPRA announcement, and with public anxiety running high, Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi stepped forward on Friday to offer a direct reassurance to Kenyans.

Kenya has adequate fuel reserves, the Cabinet Secretary confirmed, and there is no imminent shortage. Wandayi stated that the government had already engaged oil marketers in consultations, with those marketers confirming that fuel shipments to Kenya would continue uninterrupted despite the regional tensions. Citizens were urged not to panic-buy or stockpile fuel — behaviour that, if it were to occur at scale, could itself precipitate the shortage people fear.

The government has indicated it is continuing to monitor the situation closely and is working in coordination with industry stakeholders to safeguard supply continuity.

“Kenya has adequate fuel reserves. There is no imminent shortage. The government is working closely with oil marketers to ensure supply remains uninterrupted.” — Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi, March 13, 2026

What Comes Next

The current pricing freeze offers a month of stability. But the factors that could upend that stability — a worsening conflict in the Middle East, a disruption to Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes, or a sustained rise in global crude oil benchmarks — remain very much in play.

If February-priced cargo insulated Kenya in this cycle, the next review in April will reflect more recent global market realities. Should the geopolitical situation deteriorate further between now and then, Kenyan motorists and households may find the next pricing announcement considerably less comfortable reading.

For now, the pumps hold. The prices hold. And Kenya watches the Middle East with the quiet, anxious attention of a country that knows exactly how connected its economy is to events unfolding thousands of kilometres away.