Ugandans were struggling Monday with a fuel shortage that has sent prices skyrocketing, as hundreds of trucks remain stuck in huge tailbacks at the border with Kenya. Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa said the border delays were caused by a faulty scanner used by custom officials to check vehicles, and “issues regarding COVID-19.” In the western district of Hoima, ironically the area where Uganda discovered large oil deposits earlier this century, a liter of fuel was selling at $3.40 — up from $1.13 previously. The pumps had run dry at other petrol stations in the north and west of the landlocked East African country, according to checks by Agence France-Presse. Ugandans were also reporting hikes in taxi and bus fares in many parts of the country, which is a net oil importer.
SOURCE: VOA