State extends high sulphur fuel import waiver by six months
Business
By
Macharia Kamau
| Nov 13, 2026
The government has extended a waiver that allows the petroleum sector to import fuel with significantly high sulphur content. This move, the government said, is aimed at securing the supply of petroleum products.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry on Wednesday extended the waiver by six months, having initially effected in late March 2026. At the time, the oil industry was said to be struggling to replenish a fast depleting fuel stocks amidst shortages in the global market, following the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the passage where more than 20 per cent of global oil transits.
In the waiver, the government suspended the requirement for fuel imported to Kenya to have a maximum sulphur content of 10 milligrammes per kilogramme (mg/kg) and instead capped this at 50mg/kg. Lower sulphur content is seen as better for vehicle engines, human health and the environment.
Through a statement, Trade and Industry CS Lee Kinyanjui said the extension of the waiver was done after a request by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and recommendation of the National Standards Council, which is the governing board for the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs).
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“The Ministry... has extended for a further six months the temporary adjustment of the sulphur limit for petrol and diesel,” said Kinyanjui.
“Under the extension, approval is granted for a maximum limit of 50mg/kg of the sulphur parameter in both... automotive gasoil (diesel) and automotive gasoil – premium motor spirit (super petrol).”
The initial batches of high sulphur fuel were imported into Kenya before the formal waiver and caused an uproar in the country over concerns about its legality as well as the impact on engines, human health and environment. The Energy and Petroleum Ministry directed the importers of the fuel to withdraw the cargoes from the Kenyan market. Reports by government agencies say the cargoes were later re-exported to neighbouring countries including DR Congo and South Sudan.
The importation also cost senior petroleum industry officials their jobs, who were accused of falsifying industry data to allow for emergency fuel imports that resulted in the shipping in of the substandard fuel. Former Petroleum Principal Secretary Liban Mohamed, former Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director Joe Sang and Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) CEO Daniel Kiptoo were arrested, their homes and offices searched and later forced out of office. They have, however, never been charged.
The extension of the waiver is despite industry sources noting that the fuel that Kenya had been importing over the six months to October had largely been conforming to the low sulphur regime and that the industry did not expect the government to allow continued importation of the dirty fuel.
The Trade and Industry Ministry said the extension of the waiver is temporary and could be lifted earlier if the situation in the Gulf region improves.
“The decision follows a technical assessment and monitoring of the continuing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East and related disruption affecting global petroleum supply chains, including the Strait of Hormuz. The extension is intended to widen available sources of compliant fuel and safeguard Kenya against supply shortages,” said Kinyanjui in the November 11 statement.
“This is a temporary measure intended to maintain uninterrupted fuel availability and protect economic stability. It will be reviewed at the end of the six months or earlier should global supply conditions improve.”