More pain at the pump as fuel shortages persist

Bodaboda riders queue at petrol stations in Nairobi’s Industrial Area amid an ongoing fuel shortage affecting supply across the country .

Nairobi City County residents continued to experience fuel shortages at petrol stations yesterday.

On Wednesday, the situation was worse as many petrol stations lacked fuel. However, the shortage was not as widespread as it was yesterday.

A spotcheck in some stations on Mombasa, Enterprise and Lunga Lunga roads confirmed pain by motorists with some petrol stations having no fuel.

At Shell Petrol Station on Lunga Lunga Road in Industrial Area, there was little fuel and some motorists were turned away.

According to a staffer at the station, they started experiencing fuel shortage from 11am on Thursday.

Only company vehicles from their frequent customers were allowed to fuel.

“There has been shortage of fuel for sure. There is no match between supply and demand. The demand is too high while the supply is too little. We don’t get what we used to get before,” said Mohamed Waqo, an accountant at the station.

The bad situation is despite Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi assuring the nation on Wednesday that that supply disruptions affecting select filling stations had been resolved.

In a statement, Wandayi blamed the temporary shortages to what he called a technical and administrative hitch that disrupted the smooth uptake of petroleum products by a section of oil marketing companies within the downstream supply chain.

Waqo urged the government to stand by its word as per the assurance by CS Wandayi.

“They should fast-track  they said because the situation is affecting the economy. There is one of our clients a few metres away who said he uses petrol to produce his goods but he has now been forced to shut down for sometime because we didn’t have petrol yesterday,” he said.

Bodaboda riders who do delivery and carry passengers within Industrial Area, like Fredrick Ngare, have been worst affected.

“Today I have really suffered. I went to three petrol stations and they had no fuel. Sometimes fuel get finished along the way when you have a customer, and they are forced to alight and go as you remain alone to go and look for fuel,” said Ngare.

He added: “When I found it in the morning, I had to buy more because I was not sure if I will get it again. This means it affects my daily earnings and take home from delivery job.”

Ngare called upon the government to solve the fuel shortage issue even as he is now forced to buy either quarter or half of what he needs to continue to do his work uninterrupted.

Albert Wanjala, another boda boda rider, said the increase in fuel prices has affected his daily earnings.

“Most passengers are not willing to pay more, tance driver,” Wanjala said.