By Mary Blessing Ahairiirwe and Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL:
As the scourge of fuel crisis and high fuel prices continue to shoot up, the Forum for Democratic Change – FDC, has threatened to mobilise the public to take industrial actions if government does not intervene.
“As the FDC , we are are going to mobilise the public to take actions if government fuel prices do not normalise by mid next week and we are going to lead from the front.” FDC said
The remarks were made by the party president, Eng Patrick Oboi Amuriat on Monday during a press conference at Najjanankumbi, Kampala.
For almost a month, fuel prices across the country have remained prohibitive something which FDC says distorts people’s budgets, movement of people and their goods. Fuel prices in Uganda started increasing in December last year towards Christmas and the situation worsened in early January, 2022.
Currently, the price petrol has increased to between Sh6,000 and Sh10,000 per litre from Sh3,800per litre varying from one fuel station to another, whereas diesel prices keep fluctuating at Sh 4,300 per litre. In other areas outside Kampala, there is a shortage of fuel at many fuel stations.
The crisis according to government had been brought about by the ministry’s of health directive on the mandatory COVID-19 testing of truck drivers at the Malaba and Busia border points, but has since been suspended.
However, FDC says COVID-19 pandemic has been turned into a lucrative business blaming the rise in fuel prices on the miscalculation of government to test truck driver at a higher cost worth $30, yet they had been tested before in their home country, Kenya.
“This crisis is like others is self-induced. Why did we put in place COVID-19 measures that are unsustainable? How on earth can anyone sensible demand from a truck driver $30 for COVID testing?” Amuriat questioned.
He urged government to put mitigation measures to mitigate the high and sudden rise of fuel prices questioning the significance of the oil reserves on Uganda’s economy which are allegedly empty.
Ruth Nankabirwa, the minister of energy and mineral development recently told reports that government is considering to resolve the crisis stating that another oil reserve is being constructed yet to complete in Wakiso District.
“There is a tank of 70 million litres which is almost completed in Kawuku, Wakiso District. Government is also going to construct a storage terminal in Mpigi to receive the finished product from the refinery in Hoima, but we cannot rely on tanks alone.
In addition, FDC has appealed to the public not to view the leaders alone as the ones responsible for bringing order to this country urging them to concert efforts in bringing sanity in the country.
