Gachagua says Israel-Hamas war could escalate fuel prices
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has predicted that the conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas could escalate fuel prices further.
Speaking on Saturday during a meeting with Mt Kenya leaders and professionals, Gachagua said if the conflict continues, Kenyans and people in other parts of the world could be forced to dig deeper into their pockets for fuel.
"Another crisis is manifesting around the Palestinians and Israel, and that is not healthy for fuel. Many people have accused the government of escalating the cost of fuel. No responsible government can do that," Gachagua said.
Gachagua defended the government against calls to reinstate fuel subsidies, saying that would call or more taxes against Kenyans.
"If we subsidize fuel today, we'll have to collect that money from somewhere and we will have to add more taxes..so we are saying we cannot subsidize fuel because that money will have to come from somebody, and that money would have to come from the taxpayer," Gachagua added.
Fuel prices
Currently, a litre of petrol in Nairobi is retailing at Ksh217.36, diesel at Ksh205.47 whereas Kerosene will cost Ksh205.06.
On October 14, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) announced an increase in fuel prices.
In a statement, EPRA announced that the adjusted prices of super petrol increased by Ksh5.72 per litre, diesel by Ksh4.48 per litre and kerosene by Ksh2.45 per litre. 
The latest price adjustment follows a stabilisation process by the government in a move meant to cushion Kenyans already struggling to survive the lean times.
According to EPRA, the fuel prices would have increased by Ksh8.79 for a litre of Petrol, Ksh16.12 for diesel and Ksh12.05 for a litre of kerosene if not for the stabilisation which will be funded by the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL).
Israel-Hamas war
On Saturday, October 21, 2023, there was an attack on a mosque in West Bank’s Jenin, which Israel says was used by Hamas or the Islamic Jihad members.
Al Jazeera reports that since the Hamas attacks on October 7, more than 540 Palestinian Bedouins have been forced out of their homes in the occupied West Bank.
