Long queues reported at filling stations amid scarcity, sales capped » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 3 — Several regions in Kenya have been hit by major fuel shortages leading to closure of many petrol stations.

A field survey done by Capital News at petrol stations in select cities and towns revealed a biting shortage with affected filling stations capping sales at Sh2,000 or less for vehicles and as low as Sh100 for motorbikes.

“There is fuel shortage, the little amount that is there in our station is being rationed to fit our customers, we are selling at a maximum of two thousand, we have been told by next week we will get more fuel it is not fully confirmed,” a Shell attendant in Nairobi told Capital News on Sunday.

In Malindi and adjacent areas, public transport was paralyzed on Sunday with operators decrying scarcity.

A similar situation was reported in Kisumu, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira and Machakos with motorists expressing their frustrations over the state of affairs.

“Currently the situation is bad concerning fuel, as a motorist we are forced to fuel our cars for five hundred shillings which cannot take that far, very soon we will be forced to park our cars in our compounds,” Pamela Odongo, a motorist in Kisumu, said.

In western region, motorists queued way past midnight with jerrycans to buy fuel amid panic over the looming crisis.

“We have presented our grievances on the shortage of fuel and we are here today doing the same, fuel like diesel and petrol for more than three days has been scarcely available at petrol stations,” James Ochieng, Secretary of Public Transport in Kisumu, said.

“Now almost sixty cars belonging to members of public transport have been parked not to be used because of fuel shortage, when we go to other stations to refill we are being told we can’t exceed two thousand shillings and they don’t want to consider the trips we make which take up to seven thousand shillings because of the long distance,” he added.

The situation in Kisii county also mirrored all the other counties in the Western Region experiencing petroleum shortage.

“We are really struggling as motorists, we are spending almost four hours in queues at the petrol stations and even when we get there with enough money the fuel is being rationed, you can’t refill more than five hundred and less than two hundred shillings for us motorbike riders and when you put that amount there is not much it can do,” Ibrahim Ogutu, a motorbike rider in Kisii county, said.

A spot check in Nairobi revealed several filling stations had capped sales with the Total outlet on Kimathi Street running out of fuel, as well as Shell along University Way.

Along Mombasa Road, the Shell outlet at Big Square also reported having depleted its stock.

A Shell petrol station attendant at University Way in Nairobi told Capital News that they expected to get more fuel either in the evening or on Monday morning.

The shortage was reported even as Kenya Pipeline Company insisted on the availability of sufficient fuel stock totaling 43 million gallons as at midday on Saturday.

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) later issued a statement attributing the scarcity to supply glitches occasioned by delayed remittance of fuel subsidy refunds to oil marketers.

Oil marketing companies are reported to be demanding subsidies from the government for the last four months.