The dispute is reported to have begun on 15 October, a day after EPRA published the maximum retail and wholesale prices for the October‑November pricing cycle.

Under the gazetted rates, the maximum wholesale price in Nairobi is Sh211.80 per litre for super petrol, Sh212.60 for diesel and Sh204.79 for kerosene, with corresponding retail caps of Sh226.96, Sh227.27 and Sh219.87 respectively.

The associations claim OMCs started charging independent outlets above these wholesale limits when the new prices took effect, squeezing profit margins and making legal purchases increasingly unviable.

POAK and KIPEDA say the breach has already led to stock‑outs at independent stations and warn that continued non‑compliance could force a broader shutdown of retail outlets, jeopardising fuel access nationwide.

In response, the associations have instructed dealers to stop purchasing any fuel offered above the EPRA wholesale caps and have called for urgent enforcement action, including sanctions against offending marketers, from EPRA and the State Department for Petroleum.

The dealers say they remain willing to engage with the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and EPRA to resolve the issue, but note that neither EPRA nor the ministry had responded to the allegations at the time of publication.