30 December 2008
Kampala — MOTORISTS continue to feel the effects of the fuel shortage with several of them paying high prices for fuel. A number of dealers in Kampala that The New Vision interviewed said a reprieve from the shortage could come after the New Year.
While major filling stations such as Shell and Caltex yesterday reported fuel stock outs, smaller petroleum dealers such as Moil, Hared, Gaz, Concorp, Petro and Pearl had stocks of petrol and diesel selling at high prices. Petrol prices ranged between 2,800 and 3,050.
Dr. Moses Muhwezi, a city resident, said he drove from Najeera, on the outskirts of Kampala to Gaz filling station in Kitintale in search of fuel.
He added that he had travelled from Rukungiri on Sunday, where the situation was worse.
"From Rukungiri, I refuelled at Ishaka where a litre of petrol was sh3,500. I drove to Mbarara and there was no petrol. In Lyantonde, a litre of petrol was sh4,000."
A Mukono resident, who only identified herself as Joy, said: "You find only one petrol station having fuel and selling at sh3,000 a litre, with a long queue."
Another motorist on the Entebbe Road said he had failed to get petrol. "The road leads to many entertainment places and during the festive season, people with cars which use petrol bought it all."
But Purna Chandra Das, the general manager of Moil station in Banda, said the shortage was not unique to Uganda. "We handle dealership in Tanzania, but they also do not have fuel."
He said the high price for fuel was due to the high exchange rate for the US dollar against the Uganda shilling.
He added that the prices may not come down soon despite the fall in the world price of a barrel of petroleum.
At Pearl filling station in Namasuba, a litre of petrol sold at sh3,300. The manager, Pamela Baryayanga, said: "Some motorists think we are hoarding fuel to sell at high prices. But we are buying fuel internally at a high price from other petroleum dealers within Uganda."
At Petro station in Banda, Rehema Muwanguzi, the manager, said they had spent a fortnight without petrol but they had diesel.
Shell filling stations in Nakawa, Kireka, Najjanankumbi and Caltex Bweyogerere reported petrol shortages. Various Shell stations were expecting fuel by yesterday evening.
Peter Muwonge, the supervisor at Shell Capital on Kampala Road, said they expected to receive 10,000 litres of petrol by last evening.
Arua's five major filling stations, Hashi, GAPCO, Shell, Petro and Total have also reported fuel shortages in the last two weeks.
Petrol prices have risen from sh2,800 to between sh4,000 and sh5,000. Diesel is selling at sh3,500, up from sh2,800 two weeks ago.
In Nebbi and Arua, the black market fuel dealers commonly referred to as OPEC boys are selling petrol at sh3,800 a litre.
At Caltex station in Fort Portal, a litre of petrol cost sh5,500, while diesel was sh2,900.
Transport companies have also increased fares as a result of the fuel scarcity.
Link Transporters is charging sh35,000 from Fort Portal to Kampala, up from sh11,000, while Kalita Transporters is charging sh30,000. Taxis are charging sh25,000.
The fare from Fort Portal to Kamwenge has been hiked from sh7,000 to sh10,000 and Fort Portal to Bundibugyo from sh10,000 to sh18,000.
In Mbarara, fuel price increases have hit motorists hard and left passengers to Kampala stranded.
Yesterday, petrol at Bam Station sold at sh3,800, up from sh3,100. At Petrol City, a litre of petrol was sh3,400, up from from sh3,100, causing a hike in transport fares.
Hajj Juma Matovu Kanywani, the manager of the Mbarara Bus Park, said they charged sh20,000 to Kampala, up from sh10,000 and sh30,000 from Kabale to Kampala, up between 15,000 and sh20,000.
In Soroti, motorists pushed, shouted and hooted at each other as they struggled for fuel at Total, the only station with fuel yesterday. Fuel on the black market was sold between sh8,000 and sh12,000. Bus fares from Kampala to Soroti rose from 15,000 to 25,000 and sh17,000 for the return trip.
Contributors: Hope Mafaranga, Raymond Baguma, Frank Mugabi, Fred Turyakira and John Omoding
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