Kenya Senate orders digital system to track petroleum stocks

The Kenyan Senate has directed the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to develop a digital platform to monitor petroleum stocks, imports, and allocations in real time. The Senate Standing Committee on Energy issued this directive to address gaps in monitoring and concerns regarding emergency fuel procurement processes. The proposed system will integrate data from the Kenya Pipeline Company, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), allowing oversight bodies to track stock levels at the individual oil marketing company level.

The move follows previous supply uncertainties and questions regarding how emergency purchases were handled outside existing government-to-government frameworks. The committee has requested the ministry report progress within six months and called for the standardization of daily petroleum stock reports, including on weekends and public holidays.

Despite high pump prices and the removal of fuel subsidies, domestic petroleum consumption in Kenya rose by 6.94 percent during the 2024/25 fiscal year. Data from EPRA shows a rebound in demand, with diesel and super petrol usage seeing their first growth in three years. Additionally, demand for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) increased by 15 percent in 2024.