The Petroleum Institute of East Africa (PIEA) has distanced itself from a viral notice that has been circulating putting Kenyans on alert over an impending fuel shortage.
According to PIEA, the oil marketers did not know the original author of the notice insisting that the country will have enough fuel.
The Oil marketers say that they are looking at possible solutions considering the current situation in the country and have come up with ways of averting a national wide shortage of fuel.
“PIEA has been at the forefront of ensuring oil marketers are not hoarding fuel and thus creating shortages,” read the statement.
The Ministry through the Principal Secretary, Andrew Kamau says that the Government has enough fuel for consumption in the country and companies found to hoarding will be punished in accordance with the law and in extreme cases the companies risk being banned from importing fuel into the country.
In the last few days several fuel stations in the country have recorded dry pumps; the most affected region has been Western Kenya.
In Nairobi county, there have been long queues at some fuel stations.
Just last month the Informer reported a scheme to create an artificial shortage of fuel through hoarding by the petroleum dealers.
The move was masterminded by influential cartels who deployed their representatives to filling stations to monitor the deliberate ‘drying’ of fuel pumps.
In their push for the government to settle the Sh34.4 billion fuel subsidy fee actualised through the supplementary budget, the oil dealers managed to hold the government hostage, causing an almost complete paralysis nationally.