Taxi drivers, boda bodas in Busia cross to Kenya to purchase fuel

Busia, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Some taxi drivers and boda-boda operators in Busia district have opted to cross to neighboring Kenya to buy petrol because of the hiked prices in the country.

In Busia district, a litre of petrol at a pump fuel station costs between Shillings 4,530 and 4,610 up from Shillings 3,670 while those vending in plastic bottles have hiked a liter from Shillings 3,800 to between Shillings 4,700 and 4,800.

In Busia county in Kenya, the pump price for a liter of petrol ranges between Kshs 125 (UGX 3,875) to Kshs 130 (UGX 4,030). This has prompted taxi drivers and riders to resort to neighboring Kenya to buy cheap petrol.

The motorists send boda-boda riders with empty jerry cans to the fuel station across the border to buy petrol for them. Bernard Mukisa, Jefferson Sibuuta, and Stephen Simwero, are some of the transporters in Busia who have resorted to fuel from Kenya.

They explain that they resorted to the cheaper fuel because they couldn’t increase transport fares.

Simon Simwero, a boda-boda rider says that they tried to hike transport fares earlier, prompting travelers to shun motorcycles. He says that this prompted them to cross to Kenya for cheap fuel so as to remain in business.

Suzan Wandera, the Deputy Mayor of Busia municipality says that the decision by the fuel consumers in the area to cross to Kenya affects them in terms of local revenue collections.

Mathew Tusubira, the Busia Deputy Resident District Commissioner-RDC says that the presence of mobile vendors puts the area at risk.

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.

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