Pumping hitches hit supply of fuel

Supply of petroleum products to retail outlets in Nairobi and other towns has not stabilised because of pipeline pumping constraints.

A spot check in Nairobi by the Nation on Friday revealed that several retail outlets had run out fuel with a long queue of tankers outside oil depots of various marketing companies in Industrial Area.

The Oil Industry Pipeline Coordination Secretariat on Friday said fuel stocks available to marketers from Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) depots in Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu varied.

Pipeline coordinator Mr Mburu Kimani said in a circular sent to chief executives of oil companies that KPC’s depot in Nairobi had 950 cubic metres of kerosene with the next batch expected on Sunday.

“Kerosene available is some 950 cubic metres with a batch expected on Sunday evening,” he said in the circular dated January 2 that was obtained by the Nation.

Mr Mburu said the Nakuru depot had by Friday a stock of 400 cubic metres of super petrol with the next batch due on Sunday. The facility had adequate regular, diesel and kerosene to meet demand for a day.

The enhanced Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline enhancement project was commissioned on November 26, 2008 to double the fuel flow rate from 440 to 880 cubic metres per hour a feat that is yet to be attained even as demand for oil products continues to increase.

Available stocks

Senior officials of oil firms who asked not be named said on Friday there was a lot of fuel at Kipevu Oil Storage Facility in Mombasa though its availability inland was affected by pipeline constraints.

Mr Mburu said KPC’s depot in Eldoret opened with low diesel stocks of 850 cubic metres.

“Diesel stocks opened low (850 pumpable) with ongoing receipt of 4,100 taking place. The receipt logistics will hamper full loading potential on this grade. Other grades are available and meeting the demand for the day,” he said.

He said its depot in Kisumu had 950 cubic metres of diesel in one tank being loaded into tankers adding that it was receiving 3,500 cubic metres in another tank that opened the day with 250 cubic metres of diesel.

Meanwhile, some transport companies in Mombasa have been forced to ground their trucks due to fuel shortages.

Operations director of Awale Transporters, Mr Abdi Awale said the firm’s entire fleet has not operated in the last five days.

This comes after the Government last week revealed that oil companies had deliberately refused to collect more supplies at their respective depots for onward transmission despite availability of the product causing an artificial shortage.

Transporters are now accusing oil companies of uniting to frustrate the Government’s move to regulate prices.

“We are afraid that the war between the Government and oil companies is making us pay heavily,” said Mr Abdi. “There is a sufficient amount of fuel in Mombasa but companies are not willing to sell the oil until prices increase by between Sh10 and Sh15 a litre,” he said.

Some stations are asking for Sh2 or Sh3 more per litre for both petrol and diesel.

Another transporter, Mr Mustafa Mohammed said there was need for the Government to put in place policies that will check such situations.

“Although we are sometimes forced to delay looking for fuel, trucks in our company have been operating well because we are paying the extra amount,” he said.