I still work for an oil company which gives me knowledge of how things work as opposed to speculation and old wives tales.

The margins being made by at the station level have not been affected by the price controls (Reason being that the dealers enter in to a contract with the majors stipulating the guaranteed margins while the independents are able to get prices that are far below the recomended wholesale price). Consequently any tampering with the meters is due to thuggery and not price controls/ lower margins.

I think that Kenyan bash oil companies just because they hear people in the west bashing big oil (i.e. upstream companies)

I assure you that price controls will lead to oil companies making more profits while the public will lose. Already we have seen a surge of Ksh7 per litre in Kero and about 2bob in diesel. Only in PMS did we have a decrease in price (which begs the question, how much PMS is used by the poor or in industrial applications)

@Milken, i think you are very myopic in your thinking. How can you say this 'I think that Kenyan bash oil companies just because they hear people in the west bashing big oil (i.e. upstream companies)'. You mean we don't reason? If you work for an oil company do you have have that blind loyalty? You need to reason independently without that employer in mind sometimes it will help you. ABK!

@milken, I know you want to milk 'em Kenyans up...@Maich, thank you for bringing this up. Information is key in this day and age.

What do you think an independent who got fuel at "far below recommended wholesale price" will do when he realizes the multinational next door is selling petrol at 94/= [for example] just like him? Do you need to attend an economics class to know what will follow? If the prices are the same, most guys will fuel at the multinational - power of a brand name. The only way for the independent to compete - as has always been the case - is to sell at a lower price. Watch this space.

In any case, even in the 'subsidized' [ by an oil company?] stations, fuel was still above 94/= before the price controls!

kenyans always feel happy when they milk fellow kenyans n even milken has demonstrated this in his posts. What we need is change in the consumer behaviour.