Kenya Relaxes Fuel Standards for Six Months Amid Supply Crisis

The Kenyan government has announced a temporary adjustment to fuel quality standards, a move intended to secure the national supply chain against deepening disruptions in global shipping routes.

According to a directive issued on Thursday by the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, the country will revert to previous fuel specifications for a period of six months.

The decision follows formal requests from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and private sector stakeholders who cited increasing difficulty in sourcing fuel that meets Kenya’s current, more stringent environmental requirements.

Tensions in the Middle East, particularly those affecting the Strait of Hormuz, have significantly constrained the availability of high-specification petroleum products in the region.

Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui confirmed that the government has waived the sulphur parameter for both diesel and petrol. Under the new temporary guidelines, the maximum allowable sulphur limit has been set at 50mg/kg for:

* KS EAS 177:2025 – Automotive Gasoil (Diesel)

* KS EAS 158:2025 – Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol)

This adjustment represents a fivefold increase from the current legal ceiling of 10mg/kg. The move effectively rolls back fuel quality to standards last seen in 2015, when the East African Community first shifted toward lower sulphur fuels to improve air quality and protect modern engine components.

The Cabinet Secretary stated that the measure was approved following a technical review and consultations with the Kenya Bureau of Standards and the National Standards Council.

"This measure is temporary and intended to ensure continued fuel availability and sustain economic stability during the current period of global supply disruption," Kinyanjui said in a statement.

The waiver comes at a critical time for the Kenyan economy, which has already been grappling with record-high fuel prices. In April 2026, the average price of petrol and diesel rose to approximately 200 shillings per litre, contributing to a rise in inflation from 4.4 percent in March to 5.6 percent in April.

By relaxing the sulphur constraints, the government aims to allow oil marketers to source fuel from a broader range of international refineries that may not yet produce the ultra-low sulphur variants required by the 2025 standards.

This flexibility is expected to keep the pumps running and prevent the long queues and transport disruptions associated with supply shortfalls.

The directive will remain in place until late October 2026, though the Ministry noted it would be reviewed earlier if global supply conditions improve.

While the policy is focused on economic continuity, it has sparked some concern regarding the long-term impact on vehicle emissions and the maintenance of modern engines equipped with sensitive exhaust treatment systems.

For the construction and logistics sectors, which rely heavily on steady diesel supplies for heavy machinery and haulage, the waiver provides a degree of certainty for project timelines and operational costs in the immediate term.

The government has indicated that monitoring mechanisms will remain active during the waiver period to ensure that fuel entering the market does not exceed the new 50mg/kg limit.