Unguja. Fuel prices in Zanzibar are set to rise from Sunday, November 9, 2025, following a review by the Zanzibar Utilities Regulatory Authority (ZURA).
In a statement issued on Saturday, November 8, 2025, ZURA said prices for all petroleum products, except kerosene, have been adjusted upwards in response to higher global import costs.
The statement, which quoted ZURA Director General Omar Ali Yussuf, says the price of petrol will increase by Sh59 to Sh2,868 per litre, up from Sh2,809 in October.
The price of diesel will rise by Sh60 to Sh3,004 per litre, while kerosene will remain unchanged at Sh3,000 per litre.
The price of aviation fuel has also increased to Sh2,405 per litre, from Sh2,343 last month.
“The increase in fuel prices for November is attributed to rising import costs of petroleum products from the global market,” ZURA said in the statement.
The price hike comes as the Zanzibar Ports Corporation (ZPC) announced an 80 per cent reduction in wharfage charges for all food items imported through ports under its management.
The move, ZPC said, aims to stabilise food prices disrupted following unrest on October 29, 2025, during the election period.
Transport to and from Zanzibar was halted for nearly five days after the incident, disrupting the supply of essential goods.
Most of the food consumed in Zanzibar is sourced from mainland Tanzania.
In a separate statement on Friday, November 7, ZPC Director General Akif Ali Khamis clarified that the reduction applies specifically to food products imported from the Tanzanian mainland, not from overseas.
He noted that the corporation had already offered a 100 percent waiver on storage fees for goods imported from abroad during the days when shipments could not dock.
Meanwhile, some residents have voiced concern that the fuel price increase will worsen the cost of living, given fuel’s influence on transport and commodity prices.
“This is worrying news because once fuel prices go up, everything else follows. Even now, prices of other goods are already high,” said a resident of Magogoni, Zanzibar, Mr Juma Mtumwa Juma.
Another resident, Mr Alkadir Mahmoud, urged the government to consider maintaining a larger national fuel reserve to cushion consumers against such fluctuations.
“We can’t keep relying on monthly imports. The lack of reserves exposes ordinary citizens to unnecessary hardship,” he said.
