Kenyan households will pay an extra Ksh500 to refill a 6 kilogram Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), just over a month after the prices dropped to below Ksh1,000 in most outlets.
A spot-check on Wednesday by Kenyans.co.ke, indicated that vendors in Nairobi and Nakuru counties have increased the prices from Ksh950 to Ksh1,400.
In Nakuru, retailers have hiked the prices of 3kg gas to Ksh650, 6kg (Ksh1,400), and 13 kg (Ksh3,200).
An increase in gas prices will put more pressure on households that are already struggling with high food and power costs.
In areas along Waiyaki Way including Uthiru, 87, Kinoo, Muthiga, and its environs, the prices are relatively lower, with customers parting with Ksh1,200 for a 6kg cylinder, Ksh3,160 for a 13kg cylinder and Ksh550 for a 3kg cylinder.
The price hikes are also coming at a time when kerosene which is mostly used by low-income households has shot beyond the reach of most families.
In Kihunguro and Ruiru, the prices retail at Ksh1,200 for a 6kg cylinder, Ksh3,160 for a 13 kg cylinder, and Ksh550 for a 3kg cylinder.
A vendor told Kenyans.co.ke, that the sharp increase in cooking gas prices was attributed to the hike in fuel prices in the month of September.
"The gas prices are linked with fuel so when it hikes, the gas hikes. Initially, we sold a 6kg cylinder for around Ksh2,200 and the utmost Ksh2,400. Now the prices have hiked to an all-time high," one of the vendors said.
In August, prices retailed at Ksh500 for a 3kg cylinder, Ksh950 for a 6kg cylinder, and Ksh2,500 for a 13 kg cylinder.
At the time, the drop in cooking gas prices below Ksh1,000 for a 6kg cylinder was attributed to the removal of the Value Added Taxes (VAT) on LPG gas by the government in order to promote clean energy.
The Cabinet has approved proposal to further cut tax levied on LPG, which could likely bring down the prices as the country embraces green energy.
