Retailers have hiked the commodity’s price by up to 40% in some regions. KENYAN households and businesses are now grappling with high cooking gas prices after retailers increased prices by up to 40 per cent in some regions. Refilling A 6-kg cylinder, commonly used in households, now averages between Sh1,200 and Sh1,400 depending on the brand and region, up from an average Sh1,000, a spot check by the Star showed.
A 13-kg cylinder refill generally costs between Sh2,400 and Sh3,500 with popular brands like Shell Afrigas and TotalEnergies often falliong toward the higher end (Sh3,100–Sh3,500), while brands like ProGas can be found for lower prices. On average, the 13-kg refill has been at between Sh2,000 and Sh2,200 in most city estates and major towns across the country.
A 50kg cooking gas, used mainly in business such as welding, hotels and eateries is now going for between Sh10,000 and Sh12,000, up from between Sh7,500 and Sh8,000. “We are getting the products at a higher prices so we have had to adjust our markups to remain profitable,” Edwin Kimani, a cooking gas retailer in Tena Estate, Nairobi, told the Star.
The price increase adds pain to consumers who have also been hit by higher fuel prices in the latest review, even as government moved to cut VAT on petrouelm products from 16 per cent to eight per cent. Global LPG prices surged in March 2026 due to the US-Israel conflict with Iran, which prompted an effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting 30 per cent of global seaborne exports.
Propane prices peaked around $973.75 (Sh125, 759) per tonne, and while they dropped to roughly $650 (Sh83 947) per tonne by mid-April, prices remain significantly higher than pre-war levels, driving up energy costs globally. While the high landing costs and global market price fluctuations has influenced the price increase, recent increases in LPG taxes by the government have been blamed for further pushing up the cost of the commodity, impacting Kenya's push towards clean energy.
In 2023, Treasury exempted cooking gas from Value Added Tax (VAT), the 3.5 per cent Import Declaration Fee (IDF) and Railway Development Levy (RDL) to promote its use and reduce reliance on charcoal.