Motorists Issue Demands, Threaten Protests Over Hike In Fuel Prices

The Motorist Association of Kenya (MAK) has strongly condemned what it terms as the recent unjustified fuel price increase announced on July 14, 2025.

MAK issued a statement on Wednesday, July 16, two days after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) announced the new prices of Super Petrol, Diesel, and Kerosene fuel products for July to August, with Super Petrol and Diesel rising by Ksh8.99 and Ksh8.67, respectively.

"This abrupt hike in price of Super Petrol by Kes 8.99 & Diesel 8.67 per litre on both petrol and diesel by the Ministry of Energy through the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) caught motorists completely by surprise and left us shocked and lost for words," stated the association in part.

"Having now processed the shock, we must express our disgust and total dismay at the deliberate exploitation of Kenyan motorists. This increase is irrational and indefensible."

MAK questioned the decision by EPRA to increase fuel prices despite global oil prices remaining below US$70 per barrel, which would have granted Kenyans relief owing to favourable prices. According to the association, EPRA violated fair trade principles under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) conventions and social justice.

The association further slammed EPRA for reducing local prices by Ksh1 amidst a drop in world prices, lamenting that this was an insult to the millions of motorists who already sustain the current government through oppressive taxation. "Today, half the cost of fuel is made up of taxes, which is economically destructive and morally wrong," added the statement.

MAK went on to accuse oil marketers in Kenya of enjoying artificially inflated profit margins at the direct expense of consumers, raising concerns of a deeper scheme to exploit motorists. It also cited investigations which revealed that EPRA, alongside the Energy Ministry, has failed to shield Kenyans from widespread fuel adulteration. While rogue dealers caught selling contaminated fuel are fined, motorists whose vehicles are damaged by the poor-quality fuel receive no compensation.

In a further blow to consumers, MAK claimed that fuel supplied by leading oil marketers has been found to contain lower-than-standard octane levels, raising safety and performance concerns for thousands of motorists nationwide.

"Adding insult to injury, this harmful model of exploitation is now being exported to our neighbours. When the Tanzanian energy regulator visited Kenya for benchmarking, they went back and immediately increased fuel prices by Ksh 27 per litre, following the bad example set by EPRA. This shows that the Kenyan regulator is not only failing its citizens but is also actively spreading harmful policies across the region," added the association.

"The much-hyped government-to-government oil import deal, which was meant to make fuel cheaper, remains shrouded in secrecy. We still don’t know the real beneficiaries of these opaque deals. Meanwhile, upstream and downstream confusion has replaced the scientific fuel pricing formula agreed upon 15 years ago, replaced by blatant political price-fixing. EPRA has abandoned its mandate as an impartial regulator and instead become an enabler of political and commercial exploitation."

MAK is now demanding a return to a free market system where genuine world market forces and healthy competition among suppliers determine pump prices. 

It is also calling for a return to the Open Tender System (OTS), which allowed sourcing of oil from the cheapest suppliers and ensured fair downstream distribution at the lowest possible price.

"The current irrational pricing is strangling the transport industry, which is the backbone of the economy. High prices suppress consumption, kill businesses, increase food prices & commodity and reduce government revenue. Lower prices would stimulate more economic activity, increasing revenue for both the private sector and the government, a true win-win for everyone," added the statement.

"As the Motorist Association of Kenya, we demand immediate transparency, accountability, and reversal of the fuel price increase. We require the immediate removal of the unjustified oil marketers’ margin increment, proper compensation for motorists whose vehicles have been damaged by adulterated fuel, and a return to appropriate, scientifically based fuel pricing."

MAK threatened to stage protests and court action should the demands not be met. The fuel prices currently read as follows: Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene at Ksh186.31, Ksh171.58 and Ksh156.58 respectively.

This comes after Kiharu Member of Parliament (MP) and former chair of the National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, Ndindi Nyoro, linked the recent spike in fuel prices to hidden domestic levies and questionable government borrowing.

He pointed to a Ksh7-per-litre charge allegedly introduced in 2023 without public disclosure, suggesting that the levy is a major driver behind the persistent rise in fuel costs. Nyoro further alleged that the government has used proceeds from this levy as collateral to secure a Ksh175 billion loan from local banks — a loan he claims does not appear in official public debt records.

In response, EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo stated that the latest fuel price hikes are driven by shifts in global oil markets, not domestic policy changes.