Kenyans will buy the 6kg gas cylinder for as little as Sh300 and buy gas affordably by June this year.

This is according to President William Ruto, who said that on Thursday during the relaunch of the 15-year-old Women Enterprise Fund at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi.


The president noted 70 per cent of the population that cooks and uses other forms of energy such as firewood and charcoal are women.

He said the move will ensure the women in this nation do not suffer the adverse effects of using alternative sources of energy to cook.

"70 per cent of the people who use firewood and charcoal, the majority who prepare the food in the Republic of Kenya are 99 per cent women," Ruto said.

"Therefore, all those ailments, all those problems get to affect the women and that is why I have said, from July, we will make arrangements to ensure women use clean energy," Ruto said.


Ruto also said the government will remove the 8 per cent VAT applied to gas so that more Kenyans can get access to clean and affordable energy.

“From July I have said I will address a number of things number one, I have said we are waiving taxes on gas. That 8 per cent tax the government applies on gas will be removed to reduce the cost of gas so that more citizens can afford gas,” Ruto said.

“Secondly, today you purchase the 6kg gas cylinder at Sh2,000-Sh2,800. We have now said we will set aside government funds to reduce the cost of a gas cylinder. The 6kg cylinder that you buy at Sh2,000-Sh2,800 will be reduced to Sh500 or Sh300.”

The president also sounded a warning to unscrupulous vendors who sell faulty gas cylinders and refill the same with adulterated gas, saying culprits would face the law.


The reduction in the cost of gas and cylinders will come as a relief to a majority of Kenyans who are experiencing tough economic times as they cannot comfortably afford basic commodities such as gas, which is mainly used for cooking in most urban areas.