More pain for Kenyans amid the rising cost of living gas prices soar with reports indicating that a 6kg cylinder that was previously retailing at 1200 is set to retail at 1700 while a 12 kg cylinder has surged from 2400 to 3200 in Nairobi.

This steady rise in the cooking gas prices has made it very hard for Kenyans to keep up and most of them are looking for alternative sources of fuel.

Coupled with the harsh economic times, most Kenyans are now opting for charcoal, firewood and paraffin. These are fuels that have since been discouraged because of the health implications to their users due to their unclean emissions leading to respiratory diseases.

Gas retailers blame the government for the surge in gas prices due to the introduction of new levies on their products.

Another factor at play is the weakening shilling against the dollar, with the dollar currently trading at 125 shilling for a dollar. Most of the gas consumed in the country is imported and with a weak shilling, the importers will have to pay more for the imports.

Businessmen in the sector lamented that their ventures were greatly affected by the price hikes as customers sought alternatives.

“People are telling me that they cannot afford gas. They are buying kerosene instead. We used to sell up to 20 cylinders in a day and now we sell as low as two cylinders in a day,” lamented Abdulahi Abdi, a retailer in the sector.