Cooking gas prices rise by 30 percent 

A consumer buys gas at a retail cooking gas station in Kibuli, a suburb in Kampala yesterday. Cooking gas is becoming increasingly popular in urban households. PHOTO BY Eronie Kamukama

What you need to know:

Prices have been increasing since November last year. However, Daily Monitor has established that they have been more volatile in the last three months

Prices of cooking gas, which is also known as liquefied petroleum gas, have increased by an average of 30 percent, according to a market survey conducted by Daily Monitor.

Prices have been increasing since November last year. However, Daily Monitor has established that they have been more volatile in the last three months, in which the cost to refill a 13-kilogramme cylinder has risen by an average of Shs26,000 while refilling a six-kilogramme cylinder has surged from Shs46,000 in November to Shs68,000, an increase of Shs22,000.

Dealers, many of whom are fuel retailers, have different prices for different sizes of cylinders.

For instance, to refill a 12.5 kilogramme cylinder, a customer now needs Shs136,000 up from Shs110,000 while other retailers charge Shs138,000 for the same cylinder size from Shs115,000.

Major cooking gas retailers include Shell, Total, Stabex, Oryx and K-Gas, among others.

According to data from Ministry of Energy, at least 1 percent of Ugandans cook using liquefied petroleum gas.

However, government had taken deliberate steps to increase consumption of cooking gas to mitigate deforestation.  Some of the measures included repealing of value added tax on gas in 2019, which saw prices drop by 20 percent.

However, the current volatility, occasioned by the Russia-Ukraine conflict threatens the plan given that prices have surged above pre-value added tax removal.

Dealers also indicated that prices might increase further due to difficulties related to accessing supplies.  

Mr Gilbert Otim, the Stabex spokesperson, yesterday attributed the rise in cooking gas prices to the Russian-Ukraine, noting that much of the gas is sourced from markets that have been hit by the conflict.

Dealers have also registered a decline in consumption, which according to Mr Rashid Tuuke, a salesperson at an outlet in Kyaliwajala, Wakiso District attributed to the price escalation.

“Before the increase in prices, on a daily I would refill 15 to 20 cylinders. Now I only do between four and five,” he said. 

The prices have also not been helped by the removal of value added tax, which had sought to make the product affordable.

Mr Otim said that whereas value added tax was removed, it does not constitute the purchasing price outside Uganda, which has been rising since November last year.

Average price

Cylinder                      Price (new)

13KG -12KG            Shs136,000

6KG                           Shs68,000