Acute fuel shortages hits Bomet County for the second day
Acute fuel shortages have hit Bomet County, leading to the grounding of motor vehicles in the last two days.
Motorists were on Tuesday shocked to find that fuel stations had run out of the precious commodity in almost all trading centres.
A spot check by the Nation showed that Ola, Total, Shell and Riva stations had diminishing or no supplies.
In Bomet, a Riva station that was the only one with fuel in its tanks ran out of it on Wednesday morning.
“It is apparent that the suppliers were hoarding fuel as they awaited an announcement on the way forward by President William Ruto on Tuesday after being sworn in,” said Mr Alexander Rono, the chairman of the Bomet boda boda operators.
Mr Rono said motorists had to withdraw their vehicles from the road as a result of the shortages, which had lasted two days.
Some stations ran out of fuel on Sunday night, according to motorists.
Motor vehicle and boda boda operators were turned away from the fuel stations, with some motorists idling around the outlets in the hope that they would be the first to be served if supplies were delivered.
Several stations had cordoned off the tanks with tape to signify operations had been suspended.
Kerosene was the only commodity available at fuel stations in Bomet, Silibwet, Mulot, Longisa, Sotik and Kapkoros towns on Wednesday afternoon.
The last time a similar shortage of fuel occurred in the South Rift region was in June.
President Ruto said after being sworn in that his administration was mulling dropping the fuel subsidy in what is expected to further raise production and transport costs in Kenya.
Many Kenyans expected the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) administration to immediately lower fuel prices and the cost of goods.
Dr Ruto said the government had spent Sh144 million in fuel subsidies, with Sh60 billion gobbled up in the last four months, and that the cost, if not discontinued, would rise to Sh280 billion by the end of this year.
“The President should find a quick fix for the high fuel costs which have had an impact on production costs and rising prices of essential goods, making them out of reach for ordinary people against the backdrop of a poorly performing economy,” said Mr Leonard Langat, the chairman of the Bomet branch of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Mr Langat said apart from fuel, citizens also expect the government to look into the high cost of electricity that has also raised the cost of producing goods.
“We are happy with the initial steps taken by the President to address issues affecting the agricultural sector. We should now turn the leaf and look at the costs of production and transport in what will definitely have a ripple effect on the economic performance,” Mr Langat said. BY DAILY NATION
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