Transport Crisis as Fuel Shortage Enters Second Week

The countrywide fuel shortage has entered the second week despite the government assuring Kenyans that ample stocks of petroleum products are in their reserves.

The situation forced Some PSV vehicles to halt operations due to difficulty getting fuel, while others doubled their fares. This left many commuters stuck in various bus stations due to Matatu shortage.

Some matatu operators complained of queuing in search of the commodity, with most filling stations not selling petrol and diesel. Long queues witnessed in some filling Stations along Thika road caused massive traffic on the busy highway.

President Uhuru Kenyatta last week signed the first 2021-2022 supplementary budget estimates into law, which cleared the path for releasing 34 billion shillings to the Oil Marketing Companies for the fuel subsidy program.

On Monday last week, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining said that the supply hitches that caused the nationwide fuel shortage would ease from Thursday last week.

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“By Thursday, we will be back to normal. Today (March 11), we paid Sh8.2 billion to the marketers, and since yesterday (Sunday), depots were opened, and marketers have been working to refill their stations,” Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau said.

However, this has not been implemented. Long queues continue to be witnessed in various filling stations across the country, including Nairobi, Central, Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Western Region, as Kenyans rush to fill up their tanks with the commodity whose prices have also gone up.

Closed-down filling stations and increased demand have pushed oil prices up to 300 shillings in highly populated counties, including Siaya, Kakamega, Kisumu, and Kilifi.

Some filling stations that managed to have a few liters of the commodity raised the price due to demand, defying the directive on prices issued by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA). For instance, a liter of petrol retails at above 200 shillings in some filling stations.

Major players in the oil sector are said to be hoarding the commodity as Kenyans anticipate a price increase in this week’s monthly price review.

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) is working on its monthly price review, with new prices expected on Thursday.

In Nairobi, super petrol and diesel are retail at Sh134.72 and Sh115.60 per liter, respectively. Kerosene is selling for Sh103.54 a liter.