The country is experiencing a crippling fuel shortage that is threatening to take a toll on the economy.
Over the past few weeks, long queues have been witnessed at the fuel stations as motorists scramble for the few available litres of petrol.
According to statistics, Kenya spends at least 400 million litres of petrol and diesel every month.
This may be jeopardised unless action is taken urgently to address the biting shortage.
The problem persists despite assurances from the government that the country has enough petroleum products reserves.
The government’s assurances are more of a smokescreen as the real situation on the ground points to the contrary.
For the past few days, many of the filling stations have been forced to close up due to a lack of fuel. Some of the filling stations with fuel have witnessed long queues.
The spiralling demand for the rare commodity has resulted in a spike in the prices of the fuel prices in tandem with the forces of supply and demand.
Some consumers have complained of exorbitant pump prices where some rogue oil retailers charge as high as Sh300 for a litre of petrol.
The filling stations have been prompted to enforce caps to ensure that every consumer gets at least a little of the fuel.
Some of the consumers decried the long distances covered to access fuel with many unhappy with the introduction of limits by many retailers.
They say it is not economically viable to travel long distances to purchase fuel, only to be slapped with a limit on the number of litres of petrol that one is allowed to purchase.
Many commuters especially in the rural areas have been forced to park their cars after failing to get petrol.
This has adversely affected some businesses, as traders and consumers are unable to move from one place to another.
They are unable to move their wares, taking a hit on their businesses.
The country has seen an increase in the cost of living buoyed by the effects of the pandemic and the situation is bound to get worse if the current fuel shortage menace continues unabated.
Prices of fast-moving consumer goods have been skyrocketing putting them beyond rich for most households.
Many Kenyans are still in the dark as to the cause of the anomaly that is threatening to bring the country to a near halt.
Reports indicate that the shortage is a result of speculation.
Some unscrupulous traders have been hoarding the vital commodity in anticipation of a price hike during the monthly price review by Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Other reports indicate that an ongoing conflict between the government and the oil marketers about the fuel subsidy payouts is the main cause of the shortage.
The signing of the supplementary budget by the President last week, for the payment to the Petroleum Development Levy Fund, was expected to resolve the impasse between the government and the oil marketers.
A solution is yet to be reached as the oil marketers claim that the government has not cleared all the arrears owed to them.
The marketers claim they are unable to procure new stock as a result.
The government is dragging its feet on the matter hence, posing a great danger to the economy as inflation continues to spiral.
The only way to deal with the problem is to get to the root cause and eventually nip it in the bud.
Since the oil marketers in the country are blaming the government for failing to honour its part of the bargain, it's time the government responded.
Playing cat and mouse with the oil marketers will be detrimental in the long run.
The government should clear all the arrears owed to the marketers to bring normalcy to the sector and help avert the jitters.
Ultimately, the burden is transferred to the common man resulting in the high cost of living.
The government needs to prioritise the issue by urgently acting to avert the dilemma that the country is currently facing.
Resolve the oil subsidy issue.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
