Kampala — A FUEL shortage has hit Gulu district, leading to a hike in transport fares. Motorists and boda boda cyclists on Tuesday morning queued at the Caltex station, the only station that had fuel.

Wilfred Ocan, a boda boda cyclist, said he bought a litre of petrol from black market dealers, popularly called 'Opec boys,' at sh7,000.

But the Kobil marketing manager, Jackson Ocaya, denied that there was a fuel shortage in the district.

"I ordered for fuel from the depot last week and received a consignment of over 10,000 litres of petrol this morning (Tuesday). The delay in delivering the petrol was due to a mechanical problem."

He said the shortage arose because the depots in Kampala do not operate on weekends and public holidays. Robert Achoka, the manager of Delta Station, attributed the shortage to the increasing number of vehicles from South Sudan.

The Caltex manager, Kenneth Ojara, said: "The problem is in Mombasa and not Uganda."

Last month, Kitgum and Pader districts were also hit by fuel shortages.

This forced people to travel on foot, while others resorted to using bicycles.