There appears to be no end in sight to Kenya’s rising fuel prices and the corresponding increase in the cost of other products and services.
Fuel prices increased on Oct. 14 between 2.5 Kenyan shillings (about 0.02 U.S. dollars) and 0.04 dollars for petrol or gasoline, diesel, and kerosene, setting the stage for a rise in commodity and service prices.
A liter of super petrol retails at 1.4 dollars in the capital of Nairobi, diesel at 1.37 dollars, and kerosene at 1.37 dollars, according to Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum and Regulatory Authority.
One of the sectors in the East African country that has seen a significant surge in prices is transportation, with commuter and long-distance bus fares rising up to 30 percent due to higher fuel prices.
Airline tickets have similarly increased on account of surging jet fuel prices.
The rise in the cost of fuel pushed up the country’s inflation rate to 6.8 percent in September, up from 6.7 percent the previous month, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
Despite the gloom, Kenyans, especially those traveling between Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa, are finding respite in the standard gauge railway (SGR) trains, whose charges remain affordable amid the surging fuel prices.
While buses plying the route have increased their charges to 13.5 dollars and airlines have similarly raised their fares to up to 60 dollars during off-peak times, the cost of using the SGR passenger train service has not changed.
Kenyans pay 6.6 dollars to travel in economy class on the train and 20 dollars to travel in first class.
These fares have not changed since 2017, when the Kenyan government and Afristar Railway Operations Company, which operates the SGR, launched the passenger train service.
“The SGR train is a blessing, especially at this time when the cost of travel is rising due to high fuel prices,” said Pius Musau, a journalist who works from Mtito Andei Town in Makueni County. Musau shuttles frequently between Nairobi, where his family lives, and Mtito Andei. He pays 3.3 dollars to travel in economy class on the SGR inter-county train. If he were to board first class, he would pay 9.9 dollars.
“This is way cheaper than boarding buses, which cost an average of 6.6 dollars. With the SGR, I just have to plan my time and fit it into the train schedule,” he said.
Airline tickets in the East African nation have in the past months risen at least 3.3 dollars on costly jet fuel, whose price has hit 1.1 dollars per liter, up from 1 dollar a liter months ago. Most carriers are currently charging 60 dollars from Nairobi to Mombasa.
As Kenya is to celebrate Heroes’ Day, which falls on Oct. 20, a quick check on the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) booking portal shows that trains from Nairobi to Mombasa are fully booked from Wednesday to Friday as demand increases.
“Rising fuel prices give us more reason to use the SGR trains. I used to take the bus when the train was full, but now it costs 13.3 dollars, which is double what I pay for the train,” said Josephine Adhiambo, a banker from Nairobi whose parents live in Mombasa.
She will travel on Heroes’ Day to visit her parents. To avoid missing the train, she booked two weeks in advance.
Musau and Adhiambo are among the millions of Kenyans who use the train service regularly to travel between the two cities. According to the KRC, some 1.25 million passengers used the passenger train service in the first half of 2023, a rise of 11 percent.
With rising fuel prices, passenger volume by train is expected to drive demand as travelers seek affordability coupled with convenience and safety.
