Major fuel shortage hits towns

• Situation may derail plans of travellers during festive season, say petroleum dealers

Increased demand

KPC attributed increased demand for super petrol to the recent price reduction but retail outlet owners said the shortage, which started last weekend, persisted as getting enough fuel stocks was hard.

KPC’s operations manager Peter Mecha said super petrol’s recent retail price drop to an average of Sh75 had led to a surge in demand in Nairobi and other towns which oil marketing firms had not anticipated.

Energy ministry sources said oil companies moved about 2.5 million litres from KPC’s Nairobi depot at the weekend after the super petrol stock at the storage facility ran out last Wednesday.

Kenya Independent Petroleum Dealers Association chairman Keith Ngaruchi said dealers had recorded losses because of erratic supplies of super petrol from most oil companies.

“The shortage of super (petrol) is not good because there will be far-reaching ramifications as plans of people who intend to travel for holidays could be disrupted if the trend continues,” he said.

Reported by Kennedy Senelwa, Dan Obiero and Benson Amadala