Long queues of motorists trying to refuel their vehicles persist in Nairobi and Machakos as the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) confirms that many fuel stations are facing stock shortages.
According to EPRA, it conducted an inspection yesterday (Thursday) and found out that there were long queues at various petrol stations with others already out of stock awaiting fresh stocks.
This follows a warning by petrol station operators last week that they would run out of fuel within days causing anxiety to motorists.
The problem has caused many motorists to try filling their vehicles with fuel thereby causing demand to shoot up.
It is also worth noting that the fuel shortages do not emanate from a national stock shortfall, but distribution delays according to EPRA who revealed that there was fuel at some of the stations while others had none awaiting delivery.
Fuel shortages are believed to arise from long queues at fuel depots, such as the Kenya Pipeline Company depot in Industrial Area, Nairobi, where most fuel tankers were queuing for supply.
Despite the fuel situation, EPRA maintained that sufficient fuel was available nationwide and asked Kenyans to refrain from panicking.
“Kenyans should stay calm and refrain from panic buying,” the body stated.
The organization also advised fuel sellers to shun hoarding, stating that it is a criminal offense under the law.
In the past few days, some car owners have been complaining of difficulty in accessing fuel, while others say the price of fuel has been increased in some locations where it is accessible.
As people line up in parts of Nairobi and Machakos, many people are now hoping the problem will be sorted out soon.