By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe and Ibrahim Kasita

Fuel shortage is to persist over the Christmas season, energy minister Daudi Migereko warned yesterday.

The public should, therefore, use fuel sparingly, he advised. In the meantime, Migereko added, the Government would continue negotiating with Nairobi to have fuel depots in Kenya open for longer hours so that Ugandan transporters can work 24 hours.

The shortage is a result of problems with the Kenyan oil pipeline which is currently under repair, the minister said.

He made the remarks while addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.

The introduction of the three-axle weight limit for trucks in Kenya from October 2008, Migereko said, meant that fuel tankers were carrying about 35,000 litres per trip instead of the previous 42,000 litres. Unfortunately, he said the truckers were paying the same amount of money for transport.

He also blamed the delays in delivery of fuel to congestion at the Mombasa port. The freight and insurance charges on high seas had also gone up, he said, due to piracy off the Somali coast, Migereko added.

He said the Government had asked the Rift Valley Railways to deliver fuel to Uganda and oil companies to use the Tanzanian route. “Transporters who use this route will be given tax incentives to encourage others,” he said.

The minister said money was available to restock Jinja fuel reserves.

As long as Uganda depends on Kenya for imports, fuel shortages will continue, he said. “To solve the problem, we are fast-tracking our own oil production.” Uganda has massive oil deposits in Hoima and Amuru districts.

Ivan Kyayonka, the chairman of dealers, said: “The price is coming down.”

For now, however, pump prices for petrol oscillate between sh2,600 and sh3,000 per litre.