NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 5 — Desperate times call for desperate measures.
This old adage became particularly relevant on Monday after boda boda riders in some parts of the country resorted to surprising tactics in such of fuel amid a national crisis triggered by the shortage of the vital commodity.
Caleb Sindayi is among boda boda operators who disassembled his motorbike’s fuel tank to go fetch fuel after he ran out of fuel.
Sindayi, like other riders in Kisumu, resorted to disassembling his tank after attendants at filling stations begun turning away clients with jerrycans amid concerns that some unscrupulous individuals were buying fuel to resale at a profit.
“I had to come with my tank because my motorbike has ran out of fuel. They are also declining to sale fuel to persons carrying jerrycans,” he said.
The national fuel crisis became apparent over the weekend after it emerged fuel marketers had resorted to holding the available fuel stock due to delays in remittance of fuel subsidy refunds.
On Tuesday, the Petroleum Ministry acknowledged that indeed the government owed oil marketers Sh13 billion in fuel subsidy refunds.
Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew Njoroge made the admission a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the 2022 Supplementary Budget providing an additional Sh34.6 billion to the fuel stabilization mechanism.
He gave an assurance that the situation will be normalized by Wednesday, April 6.
