Gas price hits 27-month high

Cooking gas prices have shot to a 27-month high, returning to levels last seen before the government removed value added tax (VAT) on the clean fuel.

Official data shows that the cost of refilling a 13-kg gas cylinder rose to an average Sh2,187 in September, up from Sh2,170 in June and Sh2,073 in July last year.

September’s cost is the highest since June 2016, when the Treasury scrapped VAT on gas to cut costs and boost uptake among poor households who rely on dirty kerosene and charcoal for cooking.

Prices stood at an average Sh2,231 in June 2016, and dropped to below Sh2,000 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 the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).