Modern cooking gas. [Photo/thinkbig.com]The latest petroleum products consumption reports covering January-March shows growth of cooking gas consumption by only two percent to 17,393 metric tonnes.
The Government's decision to block entry of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) through Namanga border point has weeded unscrupulous suppliers leading to a tight supply hence high prices which has led to more consumers turning back to kerosene.
By September, consumption of liquefied gas had rose by 33 percent as the Government had taken a decision of zero-rating the commodity.
During this period, average LPG price was Sh2,112 for a 13kg cylinder which has rose to Sh2,277.48 according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics end of May data.
Petroleum Institute of East Africa chairman Powell Maimba said the decision by the Government to close other border outlets had caused shortage in the market .
"The directive by the government that marketers cannot bring in gas through any other border apart from Mombasa meant that businesses had to restructure to see how to get products through Mombasa only," he said.
Mr Maimba also said that this decision meant that small distributors as well as illegal re-fillers who depended on borders like Namanga had to close up.