Access to fuel worries in Kenya. For several days, several parts of the country have been facing significant shortages.
With our correspondent in Nairobi, Albane Thirouard
The Kenyan government in principle subsidizes part of the fuel to avoid inflation of the price at the pump. But the energy and oil regulator said on Saturday that due to a rise in world prices, the compensation to be paid today is higher than expected. Nairobi is therefore behind in its bills. In response, oil marketing companies blocked imports. What to sow panic among the inhabitants of the capital who take their precautions.
Some gas stations advertise that they have no more gas. Others ration motorists. So, in those where it is still possible to refuel, cars queue up to overflow on the road in this Nairobi station.
” It’s annoying, I’m not used to that. Usually it takes me 5, 10 minutes to fill up, now I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes, almost 45, Nashol gets impatient at the wheel of his car. Now, if I have to travel and I need gas, I have to schedule an hour just for that. »
Panic in the capital
A situation that caused a wave of panic among the inhabitants of the capital. Many have moved to stock up. “ My wife just called to tell me that some stations were rationing fuel so I thought I had to fill up. ‘Cause if they start limiting what you can have today, it might be worse next week. “, explains a motorist.
” Where I come from, there was no fuel at all. I saw there were some here so I decided to stop on my way to fill up my tank, another testifies. It worries me, because tomorrow it could be worse, I don’t know when I’ll be able to fill up again. »
Faced with these concerns, the Kenya Pipeline Company, a public company in charge of transporting fuel, wanted to reassure. In a statement on Saturday, it says it has enough stock in its warehouses to meet demand.