Kenya imported a consignment of jet fuel outside the Government-to-Government (G-2-G) supply contract between Kenya and three Gulf oil majors, to avert a shortage of the commodity that would have hit the country’s two major airports from last week.
Confidential official correspondence seen by the Business Daily revealed that Kenya received 30,000 tonnes of jet fuel on August 20, outside the G-to-G deal that the country signed with Saudi Aramco, Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) and Abu Dhabi’s Adnoc, to supply petroleum products since March 2023.
The special shipment, through Gulf Energy, was diverted from a larger jet fuel shipment headed for Europe to help cover rising demand for the commodity, which peaked in July at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Moi International Airport in Mombasa (MIA).
JKIA has become busier in the past few months after it became an unexpected transit and refueling hub because the Middle East conflict forced the closure of regional airspaces and main aviation hubs.
Oil marketers raised concerns on diminishing stocks of jet fuel early last month, prompting meetings with the Energy and Petroleum ministry on August 6 and August 11 on ways of averting the crisis.
Kello Harsama, the Principal Secretary for Petroleum, said in correspondence seen by Business Daily that the special shipment of Jet A-1 was meant to bridge an anticipated gap in supply for August.
“Following the industry meetings held on August 6 and August 11, to deliberate on the emerging Jet A-1 supply concerns, which included increased uplift by airlines in the month of July 2026, leading to an anticipated supply gap in the month of August,” Mr Harsama says in a letter dated August 18.
“The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, in conjunction with the G-to-G Jet A-1 nominated oil marketing company, urgently engaged the International Oil Company for an interim solution to bridge the supply gap and guarantee security of supply and business continuity,” he added in the letter sent to CEOs of local oil firms.
Kenya currently imports fuel under a G-to-G deal with three Gulf oil majors but was forced to ship an emergency cargo outside this arrangement amid increased demand mainly from international airlines at the two airports.
Sources privy to the matter say that the next cargo of jet fuel under the G-to-G deal is due to arrive at the port of Mombasa between September 1-3, 2026, leaving the country exposed had the emergency cargo not been shipped.
The increased uptake has mainly been attributed to the wide-body commercial jets of airlines such as Lufthansa, British Airways, Emirates and Qatar Airways at JKIA. Widebody aircraft, mostly used by leading airlines globally, consume more fuel compared to smaller aircraft.
Sources added that Abu Dhabi’s Adnoc Global Trading Ltd, through its local nominee Gulf Energy, supplied the cargo that was sourced from a ship destined for Europe.
The emergency cargo was priced at $185 (Sh23,948.25) per tonne, which was more than double the G-to-G premiums of $97 (Sh11,262.15) for the same quantity. This is the second time this year that the government has been forced to ship extra fuel shipments to avert a crisis.
The first time was in April this year when the country’s National Security Council, cleared the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to import petrol outside the G-to-G framework to avert a shortage over the Easter festivities.
But the shipment was later declared illegal, overpriced and sub-standard and would later trigger the resignation of three top State officials in the energy sector.
Mr Wandayi says his ministry met with the oil marketers supplying jet fuel early in July, when it became clear that the current stocks would not meet the high demand at JKIA and MIA. They agreed to source a stop-gap cargo to avert the outage of jet fuel.
The ministry then engaged Gulf Energy and Adnoc Global Trading Ltd to bring forward the cargo that was due to arrive at the port of Mombasa under the G-to-G deal in the first week of September.
But Adnoc Global Trading Ltd said that it was unable to bring the cargo forward due to the logistical nightmare caused by the Middle East conflict. The Ministry of Petroleum then directly engaged Adnoc Global Trading Ltd in efforts to secure an immediate cargo.
Adnoc then offered Marlin Le Havre, a vessel destined to deliver jet fuel in Europe and which was due to arrive at the port of Mombasa around August 20, 2026.
Planning for jet fuel is done eight to 12 weeks in advance under the G-to-G, but the high demand in the past two months has now forced the State to allow a shipment outside the G-to-G.
Mr Wandayi added that the next jet-fuel cargo, planned to arrive in the first two weeks of September, has since been revised upwards to 80,000 tonnes from the original 60,000 tonnes, to ensure enough stocks of the fuel.
Since April 2023, Kenya has been importing fuel in a G-to-G deal with Adnoc Global Trading Ltd, Saudi Aramco Trading Fujairah and Emirates National Oil Company, supplying the fuel on a credit period of 180 days.
The three Gulf oil majors hand-picked Gulf Energy, One Petroleum, Galana, Be Energy and Oryx Energies to supply the fuel in the Kenyan market.
The deal was earlier set to lapse last year but has since been extended to end in December 2027 and March 2028 for diesel and petrol, respectively. The deal for jet fuel will expire in February 2028.
