UNBS fights fuel smuggling in West Nile
NALWADDA NSANGI
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development together with the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) have embarked on an effort to fight malpractices in the fuel market in the West Nile region.
Keep Reading
This comes as a result of increased smuggling pf petroleum products using poruous border points in thye sub region.
On the West Nile borderline, Uganda has more than 100 porous routes from Oraba in Koboko district to Panyamur in Pakwach district which makes it hard for UNBS to man them.
Peter Kitimbo, the field supervisor of fuel marketing at UNBS, said they had observed that because of the growing demand for fuel in the West Nile region, people tend to smuggle fuel from DR Congo into the country.
UNBS and the ministry of Energy said they ought to fight these major challenges of adulteration, non-compliance and transit product dumping.
Apart from the inspection of fuel pumps, motorists were advised to work with the two entities by reporting other unscrupulous behaviour at the pumps.
John Friday, the assistant commissioner in the Petroleum Supply department said the taxes for kerosene are very low because its highly subsidised such that even low income earners can access it.
Yet because of that some operators mix kerosene with diesel or petrol and serve this fuel to motorists thereby endangering their cars.
