Fuel stand-off hurting Great Lakes region

An acute shortage of premium fuel has hit the Great Lakes region following a stand-off between transporters and the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret. Transporters and their drivers have been on strike for a third week after disagreements developed between KPC and the ministry of roads and public works. The ‘Daily Nation’ on Tuesday quoted some drivers as saying that the go-slow was caused by differences over oil exportation. However, a KPC official was quoted as saying that the shortage was “normal and should not raise eyebrows”. He explained that the supply of the fuel depended on requisitions by oil companies which “sometimes delay”. At the depot, company and ministry officials were holding a meeting to iron out problems at the facility. Consultations between stakeholders have been going on since the go-slow started in early July. At Eldoret market where the majority of drivers from Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and DRC had parked waiting for the stalemate to be resolved, the number of trucks had reduced, the paper said. The drivers said most of their colleagues had “given up” and relocated to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Kisumu in western Kenya.