Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi./HANDOUTThe government has 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.
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi said Kenya currently holds adequate stocks to meet domestic demand as well as regional obligations.
In a statement to newsrooms, Wandayi 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.
He added that the country’s fuel supply chain remains stable under the government-to-government importation framework, which has played a key role in insulating Kenya from volatile international spot markets.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, authorities are closely tracking developments in the Middle East, a region critical to global oil supply, to ensure any emerging risks are mitigated in good time.
“We are closely monitoring the fluid situation as it evolves whilst engaging with our government-to-government suppliers for contingency planning,” he said.
The assurance comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions that have sparked fears of supply chain disruptions and potential spikes in global crude oil prices.
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.
The United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting senior officials and escalating tensions in an already volatile Middle East.
US President Donald Trump said the offensive was aimed at neutralizing a security threat to the United States and giving Iranians a chance to remove their leadership.
Following the strikes, explosions were reported in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, both key oil exporters.
Qatar, the world’s second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, said it intercepted missiles directed at its territory, underscoring the widening scope of the confrontation.
Oil prices are now expected to surge as the conflict between Washington, Tel Aviv, and Tehran unsettles investors, compounded by fears over the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime corridor vital to global energy supplies.
The prospect of supply constraints has overshadowed assurances from major producers that they are prepared to boost output to stabilise markets.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reportedly warned vessels on Saturday that transit through the Strait of Hormuz was prohibited, effectively shutting down the crucial chokepoint and forcing some oil shipments to halt.
Tehran has repeatedly cautioned that it could leverage its geographic position to block the strait in response to military aggression.
The escalating conflict has already begun disrupting crude flows to several Asian nations, raising alarm in the world’s largest oil-consuming region.
Asia relies on the Middle East for about 60 per cent of its oil imports, making it particularly vulnerable to prolonged instability.
Trump signaled that the joint US-Israeli campaign could extend for weeks, heightening concerns that maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz may face sustained disruption.
The narrow waterway handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil supply and a comparable share of liquefied natural gas shipments, making any prolonged blockage a major threat to global energy security and economic stability.
