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In March, cooking gas prices reached an all-time high of Sh3,231 for a 13-kilogramme cylinder, defying government efforts to reduce the commodity's cost, including the removal of the product's 8% Value Added Tax (VAT).
According to the latest data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the national average price of the commodity continued its upward trend during the month after rising by 1.4 percent from the Sh3,187 recorded in February, representing a three percent year-on-year increase.
"The housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels’ index increased by 0.2% between February 2024 and March 2024 mainly due an increase in prices of gas/LPG by 1.4%," KNBS stated.
The new average dwarfs the high of Sh3,218 recorded in June 2022, when disruptions from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which started in February that year, hit the global economy.
However, a spot check showed that some retail outlets were selling at highs of 3,330 on Monday, while the cost of refilling at some outlets was below the national average at as low as 3,090.