President William Ruto has assured Kenyans that the government has put in place measures to protect the country from fuel and commodity supply disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking during a press briefing at State House Nairobi on Thursday, March 26, following talks with Mozambique President Daniel Francisco Chapo, Ruto said the government is working closely with regional partners and stakeholders to avert any fuel shortages.

“As a government, we are working to mitigate and reduce the effects of the challenge we have in the Middle East. So far, we have made very good progress,” he said.

The President also put profiteers on notice, warning that the government will not tolerate any artificial fuel shortages engineered for personal gain.

He expressed hope that the Middle East conflict would de-escalate through dialogue and other interventions.

President Ruto also noted that a prolonged war would have negative ripple effects on Kenya’s economy as well as regional and global markets.

Kenya’s fuel prices have remained relatively stable since the country entered into a government-to-government oil deal with Gulf oil marketers in 2023, an arrangement that has also helped steady the exchange rate and is expected to continue shielding the country from volatile global fuel prices.

This comes even as several regional airlines announce a rise in air ticket prices from April 1, due to fuel shortage occassioned by the U.S-Israel war on Iran.