Fuel prices to drop as Uganda contracts bulky suppliers
Fuel pump prices at Shell Mulago in Kampala as of July 07. Analysts say the pump price of both petrol and diesel that had in recent times dropped below Shs5,000, are widely expected to shoot up. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
What you need to know:
- In his X statement, President Museveni noted that he got to know about some sham business deals from whistle-blowers and he has since discussed the matter with Mr William Ruto, the President of Kenya.
President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that government has contracted bulky and refinery suppliers to export petroleum products to Uganda and sell at lower prices.
He did not mention specifics of the suppliers.
"A whole country buying from middlemen in Kenya or anywhere else, amazing but true. Why not buy from the Refineries abroad and transport through Kenya and Tanzania, cutting out the cost created by middlemen?" President Museveni posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on November 5.
The president said since he came into power in 1986, Uganda has been getting petroleum through middlemen.
In his X statement, President Museveni noted that he got to know about some sham business deals from whistle-blowers and he has since discussed the matter with Mr William Ruto, the President of Kenya. He has also dispatched another delegation to Dar-es-Salaam which is currently discussing the same matter with Ms Samia Suluhu, the President of Tanzania.
Giving statistics, President Museveni noted that Uganda has been losing $35 on every tonne of diesel, $36 on petrol and $35 on kerosene at the East African ports.
"However, the internal parasites who have been cheating their country, have launched a social–media and mainstream media campaign against our liberation- resistance plan against okuseerwa (over-charging), assisted by the ever pro-parasite paper known as Monitor. As usual, we are ready to confront the parasites," President Museveni added through X his statement.
"I can assure the Inland East Africans of competitive petroleum products, free of distributions caused by middlemen. The whole of Uganda, North- Western Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Western Kenya, South Sudan and Eastern DRC, will benefit [from this]," he added.
He said he is not aware of huge business deals among government officials that have been importing petroleum products into the country.
"Uganda imports petroleum products of the magnitude of 2.5billion litres per annum valued at about USD 2bn. Without my knowledge, our wonderful people were buying this huge quantity of petroleum products from middlemen in Kenya," he said.
