The Kenyan capital, Nairobi, has been impacted by the fuel crisis, with many fuel outlets turning away motorists or imposing rationing due to supply shortages.
The shortfall has been ascribed to deliberate hoarding by the big oil marketing corporations that import fuel into the country, according to sources who spoke to Citizen Digital, after the Treasury failed to pay for fuel subsidies for four months in a row.
Citizen Digital conducted a spot-check and discovered that the fuel crisis that began in Eldoret, Kericho, and other parts of the country has reached Nairobi, with petrol outlets being compelled to limit customers to only Ksh.2,000 worth of fuel.
Western Kenyan motorists have been compelled to cross the border into Uganda in order to obtain the much-needed product.
A Nairobi motorist, Bosco Otieno, reported he got stranded on his way to work.
“I planned to fill up on my way to work, but all of the gas stations along the route were out of gas, and I’m now stranded on the road,” he explained.
Others had to buy fuel in jerrycans and take boda bodas to get to their cars.
Mumo Kalinzo stated, “My vehicle is stopped in Nyayo Stadium, and I had to seek for petrol in four separate stations before eventually getting lucky.”
But what is the cause of the shortage, which is on the minds of so many Kenyans? According to sources, oil marketing corporations that import petroleum into the country are hoarding the commodity as a result of the government’s delayed payments.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority saved motorists around Ksh.20 on a litre of petrol in its February fuel price review, owing to a state subsidy that has kept pump prices steady for the fourth month in a row.
Consumers would have paid Ksh.133.89 for a litre of diesel, Ksh.144.25 for a litre of petrol, and Ksh.119.42 for kerosene if the subsidy had not been provided.
