Motorists Plea to Uhuru as Fuel Shortage Persists

Motorists queue for petrol fuel at National Oil in Nyamira town.
Motorists queue for petrol fuel at National Oil in Nyamira town.
Kenya News Agency

A section of motorists in parts of the country has sent a plea to President Uhuru Kenyatta over the persisting fuel shortage.

The operators have asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene and end the shortage that  continues to paralyze operations and and risk plunging the country into an economic crisis.

The affected areas include Kisii, Nyamira, Kilgoris, and Voi where motorists are enduring long queues and even overpriced fuel due to its scarcity.

" I have been compelled to buy petrol at Ksh200 and the situation is getting worse as students prepare to return to school. Most of us are even being pushed to hike fares further because of this shortage," one motorist stated.

Motorists queuing at a fueling station in Kirinyaga County during the storage that hit the country.
Motorists queuing at a fueling station in Kirinyaga County during the storage that hit the country.
The Standard

"We have only had a steady supply of fuel in this area for just a week and things have returned to normal, same old story of long queues and panic buying. we just request President Uhuru Kenyatta to personally intervene because the situation is getting out of hand," a boda boda operator from Kisii county pleaded to the head of state.

According to motorists, the situation has been worsened by the back to school rush which has seen heightened transport activities across the country.

Students started reporting back to school on Monday April 25 for the new academic year just days after the release of the Kenya Certificate for Secondary Examination (KCSE) results by Education Cabinet Secretary George Omore Magoha.

As a result of the fuel shortage, commuters are paying high fares, with operators tripling their charges.

The situation has however not hit Nairobi which was also affected by the fuel shortage late last month with no official statement from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on the persisting crisis.

The shortage comes just days after Energy Cabinet secretary Monica Juma announced that fuel supply has been restored in all parts of the country.

"By yesterday 18th April 2022, the Ministry can confirm that majority of petroleum retail stations across the country were carrying out business as normal. The long queues witnessed in the past 2 weeks were gone, and normalcy in petroleum supplies was restored," Juma stated.

Juma lauded government agencies and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) for ensuring that petroleum products loading and deliveries continued throughout the Easter Weekend. 

She stated that as of April 18, the total petroleum stock held by Kenya Pipeline Company Limited (KPC)included 52,900,000 litres of Super Petrol and 82,177,000 Litres of Diesel.

"Further to the above stock, KPC commenced the discharge of 120 million litres of Super Petrol after which another 212 million litres of diesel will be discharged," Juma remarked.

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary (CS) Monica Juma
National Security Advisor Monica Juma Monica Juma speaking at an event on February 2022.
Photo
Ministry of Energy