{"id":160465,"date":"2026-04-16T15:56:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike"},"modified":"2026-04-16T16:44:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T16:44:16","slug":"kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike","title":{"rendered":"KNCCI calls for tax reforms amid fuel price hike"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ap-summary\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n<h4>What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n<p>The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) has urged for structural tax reforms in light of rising fuel prices. CEO Kenneth Mutahi emphasized that while temporary relief measures are appreciated, the long-term impact of global fuel supply disruptions poses a significant threat to Kenya&#8217;s economy, affecting jobs and inflation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"ap-article-header-tag\"> <strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Kenya. <\/strong> <\/span>In response to recent increase in fuel prices, the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) has called for structural tax reforms to reduce the cost burden and improve transparency.<\/p>\n<p>The KNCCI chief executive officer Kenneth Mutahi said while the organisation applauds efforts to lower fuel prices in response to EPRA&#8217;s additional eight per cent VAT, he said the reduction is only a temporary relief.<\/p>\n<p>Mutahi acknowledged that the US and Israel&#8217;s war against Iran was the primary cause of the fuel pressure being felt globally and that it is interfering with international oil supply chains.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As a net importer of petroleum products, Kenya remains highly exposed to such global shocks,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>He said businesses and livelihoods, which were already grappling with high cost of living, face immense pressure from the fuel increase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKenyan businesses cannot absorb another fuel shock of this magnitude without serious consequences for jobs, prices and economic stability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mutahi described fuel as more than a commodity but the backbone to every sector of Kenya&#8217;s economy, noting that fuel shortage directly affects domestic inflation, transport costs and businesses.<\/p>\n<p>He said Kenya&#8217;s supply chains and export capacity are strained by increased delivery times and costs due to disruptions in key shipping routes such as the Red Sea and Suez Canal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Kenya\u2019s trade exposure to the Middle East, valued at over Sh700 billion annually, means prolonged instability will directly affect key exports,&#8221; Mutahi said.<\/p>\n<p>The key exports include tea, horticulture, meat and coffee, undermining foreign exchange earnings and market access.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Without urgent intervention, this crisis will translate into higher food prices, reduced export competitiveness and slower economic growth.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The CEO has called for a comprehensive review of fuel taxes and levies, public-private sector dialogues before major pricing decisions and targeted support for transport operators, local businesses, and export sectors mostly affected by the high fuel costs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The private sector stands ready to partner with the government to stabilise prices, protect jobs and safeguard Kenya\u2019s economic competitiveness.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Kenya&#8217;s economy heavily relies on fuel, which is integral to various sectors. Recent global conflicts, particularly the US and Israel&#8217;s actions against Iran, have disrupted oil supply chains, leading to increased fuel prices. As a net importer, Kenya faces heightened vulnerability to such international shocks, impacting local businesses and livelihoods significantly. The KNCCI&#8217;s call for tax reforms reflects a broader concern about economic stability and the need for strategic interventions to mitigate these challenges.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ap-article-footer-note\">Find more news and analyses on <span class=\"ap-highlight-country\">Kenya<\/span> on the <span class=\"ap-highlight-brand\">Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What You Need to Know The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) has urged for structural tax reforms in light of rising fuel prices. CEO Kenneth Mutahi emphasized that while temporary relief measures are appreciated, the long-term impact of global fuel supply disruptions poses a significant threat to Kenya&#8217;s economy, affecting jobs and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":160464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[15971,472,544,542,15640],"class_list":["post-160465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-economic-stability","tag-fuel-prices","tag-kenya","tag-kncci","tag-tax-reforms"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>KNCCI calls for tax reforms amid fuel price hike - kenya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"KNCCI calls for urgent tax reforms to alleviate the burden of rising fuel prices on Kenyan businesses and the economy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"KNCCI calls for tax reforms amid fuel price hike\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"KNCCI calls for urgent tax reforms to alleviate the burden of rising fuel prices on Kenyan businesses and the economy.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-16T15:56:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-16T16:44:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776357543.513205.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"539\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"KNCCI calls for tax reforms amid fuel price hike\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-16T15:56:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-16T16:44:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike\"},\"wordCount\":493,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776357543.513205.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"economic stability\",\"Fuel Prices\",\"Kenya\",\"KNCCI\",\"tax reforms\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kncci-calls-for-tax-reforms-amid-fuel-price-hike\",\"name\":\"KNCCI calls for tax reforms amid fuel price hike - 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