Normally a motorist drives into a petrol station, fuels their vehicle or motorbike, pays and leaves.
In Lamu island, where the boat is the main form of transport, things are slightly different.
Petrol stations are not on solid ground but are to be found on the ocean.
Boats are refilled at the floating fuel stations.
There are five such stations, selling all types of fuel ranging from petrol to diesel and paraffin.
The stations are large stationary boats just a few metres from the seafront for ease of access.
The price of fuel is the same as that sold on petrol stations in mainland areas.
Movement in Lamu island and the rest of the archipelago is entirely by water via boats and dhows.
The stations, therefore, come in handy for the thousands of marine vessels plying the waters.
Just like their counterparts, which are located along highways, the floating fuel stations of Lamu are brightly painted and lit in a bid to outdo each other.
For the few vehicle and motorbike owners, however, refuelling is hectic business.
They have to park their rides at the seafront, get a boat to take them to the stations, buy fuel in a jerrycan, take a boat back and manually refuel their vehicle or motorcycle.
They agree it is hectic but they have no option, unless one wants to move to the mainland.
Up until a few years ago, fuel was sold in shops in Lamu island, a World heritage site.
But a number of fires led to the decision to move fuel away from the shops to the ocean.
The area lacks a fires station so the blazes were devastating whenever they broke out.
There have been calls by boat operators plying longer distances to far-flung islands such as Faza, Kizingitini, Mkokoni, Kiwayu and all the way to Kiunga and Ishakani on the border of Lamu and Somalia, for more floating fuel stations.
The biggest challenge for this group of shippers is the inability to refuel on transit for lack of fueling stations.
When a vessel runs out of fuel, the crew has to call other boat operators to buy fuel and take it to them.
Thus, long-distance shippers are forced to move around with extra fuel.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya
