Motorists in Busia district, eastern Uganda are now fuelling from neighbouring Kenya so as to circumvent the hiked fuel prices in the country.
A litre of petrol at fuel stations in Busia trades between Shs 4,530 and Shs 4,610 up from Shs 3,670 while those vending in plastic bottles have hiked a litre from Shs 3,800 to between Shs 4,700 and Shs 4,800.
In Busia County in Kenya, the pump price for a litre of petrol ranges between Kshs 125 (Shs 3,875) and Kshs 130 (Shs 4,030). This has prompted some taxi drivers and boda boda riders to cross to Kenya to buy cheaper fuel.
Other private motorists are also sending boda-boda riders with jerrycans across the border to buy for them fuel. Simon Simwero, a boda-boda rider says that they earlier tried to hike transport fares due to the high fuel prices but travelers the instead just shunned their services.
Simwero says that this prompted them to cross to Kenya for cheaper fuel so as to remain in business. Suzan Wandera, the deputy mayor of Busia Municipality says the decision for motorists to fuel from Kenya affects them in terms of local revenue collections.
Early this month, the commissioner in charge of petroleum supply and distribution, Rev. Frank Justus Tukwasibwe attributed the rise in fuel prices to the global rise in crude oil price.
