Dar es Salaam — Tanzania’s energy regulator has lowered September fuel price caps, extending the relief that began in August and cutting the maximum retail price of kerosene most sharply.
The new caps take effect today, September 2, with petrol in Dar es Salaam set at Sh3,796 a litre, diesel at Sh3,877 and kerosene at Sh3,713. EWURA’s September notice says petrol fell by Sh102 a litre and diesel by Sh101, attributing the reductions to government efforts to make petroleum products more affordable.
For motorists, freight operators and households that use kerosene, the figures represent a second successive monthly reduction. Compared with the August caps, petrol is down by Sh102, or 2.6 per cent; diesel by Sh101, or 2.5 per cent; and kerosene by Sh290, or 7.2 per cent, in Dar es Salaam.
The September diesel cut lowers the fuel bill of buses, lorries and businesses that move food and other goods, while the larger kerosene reduction gives more immediate relief to households that still use it for cooking or lighting. At the Dar es Salaam cap, a 40-litre kerosene purchase costs Sh11,600 less than it would have under August’s ceiling.
The cuts extend to the other principal import-entry points. In Tanga, maximum retail prices now stand at Sh3,872 for petrol, Sh3,953 for diesel and Sh3,789 for kerosene, compared with Sh3,959, Sh4,039 and Sh4,065 respectively in August.
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EWURA’s two monthly schedules show Mtwara’s caps also declined, to Sh3,909 for petrol, Sh3,990 for diesel and Sh3,825 for kerosene, from Sh3,990, Sh4,070 and Sh4,096.
Savings are not identical everywhere. September’s petrol ceiling ranges from Sh3,796 in Dar es Salaam to Sh4,109 in Kyerwa, Kagera, while diesel ranges from Sh3,877 to Sh4,190.
EWURA publishes separate caps for regions, districts and smaller towns, and says local pump-price caps are computed from the cost of discharge at Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara ports.
EWURA cautioned that global petroleum prices remain volatile because of the continuing conflict in the Middle East. The authority says the Bulk Procurement System coordinates the importation of petrol, diesel and kerosene, leaving domestic prices exposed to movements in international supply and import costs.
Still, the latest adjustment follows August’s reductions of Sh92 a litre for petrol, Sh204 for diesel and Sh440 for kerosene. Together, the two rounds have brought Dar es Salaam’s caps down by Sh194 for petrol, Sh305 for diesel and Sh730 for kerosene since July, according to the August and September notices.
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The cap is a maximum, not a fixed pump price. EWURA says retailers may compete below the ceiling, but they cannot sell above it. Motorists can check the cap for their locality free of charge by dialling *152*00#, and should retain the electronic fiscal-pump receipt if they suspect overcharging.
