Fuel stations back in business after losing out to smugglers

ARUA-Authorised fuel stations in Arua City are back in business after Uganda Revenue Authority [URA] intensified a crackdown on the illegal sale of smuggled fuel on the city streets.

The last two weeks have seen several fuel stations in the city ran out of fuel as motorists who were initially buying from smugglers returned. Leading fuel stations-Oilwell, Shell, and Total were in need of more fuel in their storage units.

At one of the Shell fuel outlets, several vehicles were seen in the queue to refuel after the sale of cheap smuggled fuel was banned on the city streets.

Felix Kadyang, the station manager said that the fuel business is booming following the crackdown on smuggled fuel sold by the roadside.

“For the last two weeks, I can confirm that there has been business as several boda boda riders who used to fuel by the roadside had no option but to fuel with us,” Kadyang said, urging the authorities to continue with the crackdown on the fuel smugglers.

Sunday Ayiko, a boda boda rider at Ediofe Trading Center spoke to this reporter, saying he now refueling his motorcycle from fuel stations as the roadside fuel sellers are no more.

Ayiko says that with this, he has realised that the fuel from the fuel stations takes longer than the smuggled one. “I used to think that smuggled petrol is cheaper but it is expensive at the end of the day. “Cheap things are expensive indeed.”

The routine crackdown on fuel smugglers follows a recent meeting where leaders in West Nile met with URA officials and agreed on the enforcement against the vice that was making government lose tax that would have accrued from the smuggled fuel.

The resident city commissioner of Arua City, Alice Akello when contacted appreciated URA, saying the smuggled fuel was affecting west Nile’s economy as authorised fuel stations that pay taxes were out-competed. “This needs to continue to save our economy from the danger of smuggling,” Akello said.

She added, “School-going children in the past were used to sell the fuel to get sympathy from enforcers. It is good that the children are no longer on the city streets selling smuggled fuel. They must go back to school.”

URA customs commissioner, Abel Kagumire appealed to the community of West Nile to be vigilant and continue reporting fuel smugglers to authorities.

Kagumire said the current crackdown on fuel smuggling would be a routine activity. “We have got assistance from other security agents to continue with the crackdown. We are carrying the crackdown to make smuggling risky and expensive,” Kagumire said.

The price of fuel from the authorised fuel stations in the city has slightly increased due to high demand. For instance, a litre of petrol now costs between Shs 5,200-5,400.

https://thecooperator.news/high-fuel-prices-threaten-kasese-fishing-communities/

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