Consumers in the country have indicated that they have already started feeling the pinch resulting from the fuel increase.
The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority announced the 41% fuel increase months after the country also increased the prices with 32.1 percent last year.
Speaking in an interview with Radio Islam, some consumers complained that the price increase comes at a time Malawians are grappling due to economic challenges.
They says bearing in mind that the price increase is huge and also comes in one of the most difficult months of the year government would have perhaps effect the changes in phases.
Prince Katola of Zomba and Bashir Banda from Blantyre, say the price increase will affect the prices of all commodities hence affecting their live hoods.
They say though prices of other commodities like Maize and Cement have been reduced but this will not even mean anything now since fuel dictates the prices of all goods on the market.
“We used to board a minibus at the fare of 1 thousand kwacha, but now some min bus operators are already charging us 1,500 kwacha or 2 000 kwacha so we are now forced to wait for pick up or lorries to transport us to work on a fair price which is not safe”, a passenger said.
Yes we agree that fuel prices have been adjusted on the international market, but government should have looked into the current economic situation in the country, we are already facing numerous challenges because the money that we get as salary is the same and now they are increasing the prices, it sis affecting us so much”, another respondent explained.
Minibus Owners Association of Malawi General Secretary Coxley Kamange though he said the increase is necessary but it will affect their profit margin as some consumers will prefer other means of transport.
“If the Competition and Fair Trading Commission could revise its stands on minibus fairs pricing and allow the association set min bus prices it could assist in cushioning the consumers from over pricing especially during times like these, but with this, anyone will be charging any price as it pleases them because they want to make profits or go home with something so it’s so challenging”. Explained Kamange.
Economic Expert Adam Chikapa Guys urged government to look for possible measures to mitigate the impact.
According to MERA, the increase in fuel follows the Automatic Fuel Pricing Mechanism APM which was suspended in 2023 and did not only affect fuel importation but also remittance of some levies including the fuel levy to the Roads Fund Administration to maintain and construct roads which is now owed K104 billions of unremitted fuel levies.
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