Fare prices from Nairobi to Western Kenya increase drastically after removal of fuel subsidy
Travellers heading to Western Kenya will be forced to dig deeper into their pockets as operators have increased fares after the government removed fuel subsidy causing a sharp rise in pump prices.
Two popular bus companies, Guardian Angel and ENA Coach, plying the Nairobi-Western Kenya route on Friday, September 16, 2022, announced their revised fares following the sharp increase in fuel prices.
Guardian Angel has increased fares by Ksh200 in most of its destinations. For instance, the Nairobi-Busia fare before September was Ksh1,200 but now it's Ksh1,400.
"Good morning dear esteemed clients? Following the current increase in fuel prices across the country, we wish to notify you that we have revised our fare rates as follows:
NAIROBI - NAKURU - KISUMU - BUSIA 1400/-
NAIROBI - NAKURU - KISUMU- PORT VICTORIA 1400/-
NAIROBI - NAKURU - KISUMU - BUTERE 1400/-
NAIROBI - KISUMU - BONDO - USENGE 1400/-
NAIROBI - KISUMU - LUANDA - SIAYA 1400/-
NAIROBI - NAKURU - KAPSABET - KAKAMEGA - MUMIAS 1400/-
NAIROBI - NAKURU - ELDORET- MALABA 1400/-
NAIROBI - NAKURU - ELDORET - KITALE 1400/-
NAIROBI - KISUMU 1400/-
NAIROBI - KISUMU - MBALE 1400/-
NAIROBI - RANGWE - RODI - SORI 1200/-
NAIROBI - RONGO - RODI - MBITA 1200/-
NAIROBI - RONGO - MIGORI - SIRARE 1200/-
NAIROBI - IKONGE - SONDU - KATITO - KENDUBAY 1200/-
NAIROBI - NYAMIRA - OYUGIS 1200/-
NAIROBI - KISII 1200/-
NAIROBI - KISII - ETAGO 1200/-
"This applies to both buses and shuttles. We value you," Guardian Coach LTD announced.
ENA Coach also announced a fare increment on Friday. The bus company now charges Ksh1,400 for the Nairobi-Busia route, up from Ksh1000.
"Due to the Current High cost of Fuel across the country, We wish to notify you that effective today we have revised our fares as follows; NAIROBI - KISUMU - BUSIA 1400/-NAIROBI - BONDO - USENGE 1400/-NAIROBI - SIAYA - NYADORERA 1400/-NAIROBI - KAKAMEGA - MUMIAS - BUNGOMA 1400/-NAIROBI - MBALE 1400/-NAIROBI - RANGWE - SORI 1200/-NAIROBI - RONGO - MBITA 1200/-NAIROBI - MIGORI - KEHANCHA 1200/-NAIROBI - MIGORI - SIRARE 1200/-NAIROBI - NYAMIRA - KENDUBAY 1200/-NAIROBI - OYUGIS 1200/-NAIROBI - KISII 1200/-MOMBASA - KISII - MIGORI 2500/-MOMBASA - KISII - HOMABAY 2500/-MOMBASA - SIAYA - NYADORERA 2500/- MOMBASA - OYUGIS - SONDU - KATITO - KENDUBAY 2500/-MOMBASA - MUMIAS 2500/-," ENA Coach announced.
Fuel price increment
The Nairobi-Western Kenya route is not the only one where operators increased fares. The same Friday, Central Kenya matatu owners announced an increase in fare by 30 per cent.
Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators increased fares to cushion themselves against an increase in pump prices.
On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) announced new fuel prices for the period between September 15 and October 14, 2022.
In the changes, the price of a litre of super petrol, diesel and kerosene increased by Ksh20.18, Ksh25.00 and Ksh20.00 respectively. The government scrapped fuel subsidy for petrol, while partially retaining it for diesel (Ksh20.82) and kerosene (Ksh26.25).
In his inaugural speech on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, President William Ruto announced that his administration would do away with the fuel subsidy programme, that has kept fuel prices at manageable levels.
Ruto revealed that the government had used at least Ksh144 billion in the last financial year, Ksh60 billion being in the last four months.
"If the subsidy continues to the end of the financial year, it will cost the taxpayer Ksh280 billion, equivalent to the entire national government development budget. Additionally, there was an attempt to subsidize Unga in the run-up to the election, a program that gobbled up Ksh 7 billion in one month, with no impact. In addition to being very costly, consumption subsidy interventions are prone to abuse, they distort markets and create uncertainty, including artificial shortages of the very products being subsidized," Ruto said.
