Tororo — Tororo town has been hit by a fuel crisis, which has caused transport problems in the past one week, forcing motorists to cross to Kenya to fuel.

The most hit are those whose vehicles use petrol and special hire drivers.

Boda-boda bicycles have become the main means of transport in the area.

Smuggling

Smugglers have however, takent advantage of President Yoweri Musevene's removal of all revenue check-points in the region to ferry fuel from Kenya.

The President suspended all activities of the Special Revenue Protection Services in the area as a means of wooing voters after Dr Kizza Besigye (FDC) and Mr John Ssebaana Kizito (DP) promised to disband such revenue collection institutions if elected into power on February 23.

Special hire fares had by Monday risen to 5,000 from 2,000 within town due the high cost of the smuggled fuel which goes for Shs3,000 per litre.

Petrol dealers in Tororo attribute the crisis to a delay in fuel delivery to the region.

Meanwhile, the town has also been hit by water shortage due to the 24-hour load-shedding which disrupts water pumps from the station on River Malaba.

The load-shedding has also affected many activities like office operations, communications and other transactions, especially where computer and photocopying services are required.

Power in the region is now switched-off from 6pm to 6pm the following day making operations very difficult.