In an effort to avert another fuel crisis in the country, the government is seeking a supply partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the biggest producers of petroleum products.
Sources privy to the information intimated to the media that representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and the National Oil Corporation (NOC) flew to the UAE on Tuesday, April 26, seeking to strike a deal that will see NOC import the bulk of the country's oil.
NOC, a parastatal, is tasked with ensuring security of supply of petroleum products in the country as well as developing and producing oil and gas resources for Kenyans' benefit.
Further, a crisis meeting bringing together officials from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) is slated for this morning, Wednesday, April 27, in a bid to address the recently reported second phase of fuel shortage.
Media reports indicate that the aim of the meeting is to ensure OMCs prioritise the local supply as opposed to exports to other markets.
Further, the government ordered the immediate distribution of over 30 million litres of super petrol to fuel pumps across the country, especially in parts of North Rift and Western Kenya where the crisis had re-emerged.
An initial survey by EPRA claimed that some OMCs diverted fuel meant for local market to neighbouring countries owing to larger profit margins in those foreign markets. This, in turn, led to a three-week-long fuel shortage.
The move by the government officials to fly to Dubai and convene a meeting with OMCs comes barely two weeks after Energy Cabinet Secretary, Amb Monica Juma, affirmed that normalcy had returned.
While addressing the press, the CS reprimanded oil marketers accused of hoarding fuel in order to create an artificial shortage.
"I have sanctioned a process of relocating the petroleum import capacity. OMCs who sold above their normal quota during the crises will benefit from additional capacity while those who sold less will have their respective capacity reduced," she stated.
At the time, CS Juma noted that the fuel shortage would be resolved in the subsequent three days.
