Road users suffer as fuel hunters block roads
Motorist stuck in traffic near Shell Marurui along Northern Bypass Road on April 13, 2022.
Motorists in Nairobi have been left angry and frustrated in the past two weeks of fuel shortage that has left major roads in the city clogged with major traffic jams.
Queues of cars stretched metres outside fuel stations that remained operational with motorists –some who were not looking for fuel- spending hours on end in the traffic.
Motorists in traffic outside Rubis, Garden Estate Service Station on April 13, 2022.
Major roads leading to fuel stations are no-go zones as a result of the havoc that the ongoing fuel shortages have created.
Aerial drone shots showed queues spreading out across the busy Mombasa clogging the surrounding streets and causing mayhem for those using the crossroads to get around.
Motorist in traffic in Marurui along Northern Bypass Road in search of fuel from petrol stations located along the road on April 13, 2022. Traffic along the road which connects Kiambu to Kahawa West was at a standstill as the vehicles overlapped around Total, Rubis, Shell and Ola Petrol Stations.
The traffic was caused after the petrol station received a delivery, causing delays that resulted in a mass standstill.
Last two weeks
Hundreds of motorists have been affected by the fuel crisis, making scenes like this common across the country over the last two weeks.
Images showed Rubis, Total and Shell fuel stations with traffic queues at Thome, Thika Road and Northern Bypass.
Motorists fuel their vehicle from a plastic jerrycan on April 13, 2022.
In some instances, traffic officers were called in to manage the traffic.
A Kasarani resident, Sylvia Aketch said: “And it's too noisy too. Horns blaring most of the night day as people force themselves into the queues and hold up all the main traffic.
Motorist block the a section of the Northern Bypass in search of fuel from on April 13, 2022.
“Hoping they run out by the time I get home and it's quieter tonight.”
On Thursday, Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma promised that the crisis would end in 72 hours.
Queues of cars stretched metres outside fuel stations that remained operational with motorists –some who were not looking for fuel- spending hours on end in the traffic.
"I confirm that hoarding is taking place. It is criminal and amounts to economic sabotage. We hope that the supply and demand will correct itself in the next 72 hours after fuel prices have been announced," Juma said.
