Fuel jitters? Wandayi summons marketers amid shortage fears

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has summoned oil marketers for an emergency meeting

This comes hours after holding discussions with firms supplying petroleum products to Kenya under the government-to-government (G-2-G) fuel import deal.

The move comes amid regional supply disruptions, with Thailand and China halting oil exports, while the national oil companies of Bahrain and Kuwait have declared force majeure.

Speaking on Tuesday during the official listing of Kenya Pipeline Company shares at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), Wandayi sought to reassure the public.

“We continue to engage very closely with our government-to-government suppliers, that is, Saudi Aramco, ADNOC and ENOC, in terms of contingency planning,” Wandayi said.

He added, “For that reason, there is really no cause for alarm. In the short to medium term, we have security of supply, and we continue to monitor the situation very closely.”

Wandayi confirmed that the emergency meeting with oil marketers would take place later in the day, as the government works to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply across the country.

“From here I am going to a meeting with oil marketers to continue close review and monitoring of the situation,” he said.

On March 9, the government assured Kenyans that the country has sufficient petroleum products to cushion it from any potential supply disruptions arising from the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Wandayi said Kenya currently holds adequate stocks to meet domestic demand as well as regional obligations.

He said the government had already secured scheduled imports through to the end of April 2026, guaranteeing continued fuel availability despite global uncertainty.

“Kenya has sufficient petroleum products to cover both the country and the region in the wake of the crisis in the Middle East,” Wandayi said.

Kenya, like many net oil-importing countries, remains vulnerable to external shocks due to its reliance on imported refined petroleum products. However, Wandayi emphasized that proactive planning and forward contracting have placed the country in a stable position.

“We wish to assure the public and all stakeholders that the Ministry remains alert and shall continue taking necessary actions to ensure there is uninterrupted supply,” he said.

Global energy markets are reeling from one of the most severe shocks in decades after coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attacks across the Gulf disrupted oil exports from the world’s most critical producing region.