Shortage of cooking gas hits Nairobi

A shortage of cooking gas has hit Nairobi, resulting in prices shooting up. A check in the city estates on Wednesday revealed that traders had hiked the price of a 13-kilogramme cylinder from Sh1,700 to Sh3,600.

Most supermarkets and petrol stations did not have gas and oil firms said Kenya Petroleum Refineries Ltd had not delivered enough supplies.

Shell external affairs manager Ngaari Mwaura said the firm had imported 600 tonnes of gas which is expected in the country on Friday.

Meanwhile, the western parts of Kenya continued to experience a fuel shortage on Wednesday.

Spot checks by the Nation revealed that most outlets in Western Kenya had raised the price of petrol, with super brand going up by between Sh1 and Sh3.

A manager of a Kobil station in Kisumu, Mr George Omollo said he had run out of petrol last week.

However, tour and travel services firms in the town said they had not been badly affected as they had stocked up on the commodity.

In Kakamega, dealers said they did not get any supplies. A supervisor at an OiLibya petrol station, Ms Monicah Musumbu said their usual suppliers in Kisumu and Eldoret had advised them to try and get supplies from Nakuru.

Sent jitters

In Nakuru, reports of an imminent shortage sent jitters among motorists but a spot check at major outlets showed they had normal supplies.

At a Caltex outlet on Kenyatta Avenue, motorists were getting their usual rations at normal prices. An attendant, who only identified himself as Kibe, said he was not aware of a fuel shortage.

Kenya Petroleum Refineries has blamed the shortage on power cuts. The managing director of National Oil Corporation, Mr Nyaga Mwende yesterday said that the sector would import 15,000 metric tonnes of petrol before the end of next week.

By Kennedy Senelwa, Abiud chieng’, Benson Amadala and Eddy Ogeta