Another fuel shortage? Motorists turned away from fuel stations as pumps run dry

Citizen Digital conducted a spot check spanning the Central Business District  as well as Thika Road, and found that some stations had run out of regular petrol and were only selling V-Power and diesel.

Several motorists who spoke with Citizen Digital described the agony of trying to find a fuel station, with one saying he was on his seventh.

"Tumeenda station kama sita hivi, kutoka Thika Road tukaja Forest road wakatwambia ni Vpower tu iko. "Tumejaribu sana sasa hata gari iko karibu kuisha mafuta, maybe sasa nikifika station mbili hivi gari izime," a motorist told Citizen Digital.

However, according to a source at the Kenya Pipeline, there is no fuel shortage because the country still has enough reserves to last at least 16 days.

He attributed the apparent crunch affecting select filling stations to a dollar shortage that had left the outlets unable to purchase petroleum products. 

Last year, a fuel shortage nearly brought the entire country to a halt, with motorists braving long lines for days as filling stations began rationing fuel to alleviate the situation.

The fuel crisis was precipitated by a dispute between the government and Oil Marketing companies over subsidy payments.

While marketers demanded four months' accrued payments, the government blamed hoarders for the shortfall and claimed to have enough reserves to serve the country.

According to EPRA, the shortage was exacerbated by "changing supply dynamics" on international markets, which were worsened by the invasion of Ukraine.