POLITICS | NUP | FUEL PRICES 

KAMPALA - Following the daily skyrocketing fuel prices in different parts of the country, the National Unity Platform (NUP) leadership has tasked the government to create more reservoirs.

Addressing an impromptu media briefing Tuesday, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga, said the government should focus on creating more fuel reservoirs other than settling for 'baseless' excuses as fuel prices continue to go up daily due to scarcity.

“For the last two months, the government couldn’t even think about it that blockage of the fuel trucks at the border points due to the mandatory COVID-19 test would cause a fuel crisis in the country,” he said.

Just because the organizations that test the quality of the fuel are privately owned, they are more inclined to mint money from the Ugandans rather than solve the scarcity problem

“Can you imagine that a country that is country 60 years old has never thought of an alternative route of transporting fuel and even when we have water transport, they have never thought about that alternative?

The national oil reservoirs in Jinja are empty,” Mpuuga said.

 “Fuel is a matter of national security. How can you be a country without fuel reservoirs? How are you going to transport drugs, services among others? The government should construct fuel reservoirs across the country,” he said.

At some fuel stations, it’s observed that petrol ranges between sh4950 to sh10,000 per litre and Diesel ranges between sh4320 to sh4500 per litre across the country.

Some fuel stations are now only selling Diesel and don’t have petrol in stock and their reserves.

Fuel prices started rising at the end of April last year when global Brent crude oil prices started rising. 

Petrol, which was at sh4,050 per litre rose to sh4,150, while diesel which was sold between sh3600 and sh3650, shot up and was sold between sh3,710 and sh3,750.

Mpuuga also said the air is now awash with information of amending the constitution.  

“Question is lingering whether the current constitution still represents the spirit of 1995. A constitution is a people’s agreement.

If you are carrying out a referendum in Uganda, would people still call it a people’s agreement,” he said.

He said when they were asked about the proposal of the MPs and local government voting the president, we informed them that we are of a higher talk.

He revealed that they are to embark on a National wide consultative tour that will be led by the party president Robert Kyagulanyi and this is aimed at seeing constitutional reforms that Ugandans need to have in the country.

“We haven’t yet drafted a timetable but soon they will print out,” he disclosed.

He also refuted claims that they are in a crisis claiming that it’s only in the heads of some people

Kyagulanyi said Uganda is in a crisis and the government is trying hard to cover it up.

Kyagulanyi said according to his sources, he received information that the fuel reservoirs that were constructed in Jinja that have a capacity of holding 30million litres of fuel are dry.

“President Museveni didn’t build any reservoir and even those that he found in existence, he sold them, rendered useless or even destroyed them,” he said.

He accused the government of being behind the hiking prices of fuel and said that those who are boot lickers of Museveni’s shoes are the ones who are benefiting from the fuel crisis.

He said there has been an increase in tribal talks that are pointed towards the opposition and urged Ugandans to dismiss it.

The party chief whip John Baptist Nambeshe said the regime is making crafty schemes to have opposition disordered.

He defended his party claiming that there are no clashes between the party members and he stated that all the party members have been attending all the party activities whenever called

The party vice president in charge of Western Uganda Jolly Mugisha said they have strengthened the party roots in Western Uganda and they are registering more party members.

She condemned the burning of schools and urged school leaders to be vigilant at all times.