Peter Mbae: Fuel prices could drop by 40% if brokers are kicked out

Peter Mbae, the Secretary for Planning and Economic Affairs for the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), has suggested that removing brokers and private intermediaries from Kenya's Government-to-Government (G-to-G) petroleum import arrangement could result in fuel prices dropping by up to 40 percent. During an interview on September 21, 2026, Mbae argued that the original intention of the G-to-G system was to eliminate unnecessary middlemen and reduce the cost of importing petroleum products.

He suggested that the government should have taken direct control of procurement, similar to Uganda's model, instead of allowing private companies to become involved in the process. Mbae stated that if brokers were removed from the petroleum supply chain, Kenya could benefit similarly to Uganda. The initial G-to-G plan was considered sound because it aimed to remove additional costs associated with private procurement, he argued.

However, Mbae noted that the arrangement changed as private companies were brought into the process. He believed that Kenya's National Oil Corporation (NOCK), as a state-owned entity, would have been better suited to handle the business directly. Mbae claimed that the involvement of private companies had created vested interests within the fuel importation process.

His comments come amid renewed scrutiny of Kenya's G-to-G petroleum import arrangement after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni spoke about middlemen involved in Uganda's previous fuel procurement arrangements. Museveni mentioned that Uganda had switched its procurement arrangements to remove middlemen and reported lower import premiums.