Kenyans are expressing their anger over fuel price hikes announced on Sunday in the latest adjustment by the country’s energy regulator.
At the current cost of 122.81 shillings ($1.2; £0.8) per liter of petrol in Nairobi, the landed cost is 49.84 shillings, with most of the other costs (57.33 shillings) taken up by taxes and other levies.
The price of fuel in the country is determined by a government authority, which sets the maximum prices of each type of fuel.
In computing the retail price, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) includes factors such as in the landed cost of the fuel (the cost when it is shipped into the country), the distributors and marketers’ profit margins and a number of taxes.
Some Kenyans are criticizing the government for the high amount of taxes.
The East African country relies largely on diesel for power generation and transport so high fuel costs contribute to a higher cost of living in the country.
According to a report, a politician has used the rise in fuel prices to rally against the amendment of the constitution in an upcoming referendum expected later this year.
