East African foreign-exchange and fuel squeeze.
prob 0.46
severity 3.2 / 5 · revision 2026-05-06watch · 10 East African economies · fuel + FX + food$ shortage country get KEN > stress_index: 0.58 WATCH > 3 events · 1 scenarios > refreshed 2026-05-17
BRENT $84.27 ▲ TTF €31.50 ▼ OPEC_SP 3.8 mb/d ● SPR_US 372.4 Mb FAO_FFPI 121.4 ▲
The v3.2 stress index is a six-axis composite of energy and food exposure, geopolitical pressure, fiscal headroom, demography and supply concentration, normalised to a 0–1 scale.
Kenya imports all of its fuel through the port of Mombasa, which also serves landlocked neighbours, but generates most of its electricity from renewables — it is a world leader in geothermal power. Recurrent drought in its arid north pressures food security and lifts cereal-import needs.
Kenya's arid north has endured historic multi-season drought, while the Rift Valley lakes have risen anomalously.
| STOCK TYPE | RESERVE | DAYS COVER | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil · imported fuel stocksAll fuel is imported via Mombasa, which also supplies landlocked neighbours. | ~30 days | 30days | WATCH |
| Electricity · geothermal, hydro and windKenya is a world leader in geothermal power, generating most electricity from renewables. | renewable-led | — | STABLE |
| Grain · commercial stocksDrought lifts maize and wheat import needs in poor-harvest years. | moderate | 45days | WATCH |
$ curl -s https://api.shortage.life/v1/countries/KEN | jq '.stress' > 0.58