Transport sector in Bondo town and its environs is in crisis due to acute shortage of petrol that has hit the region over the last two days.
A spot check conducted by KNA across all the four major filling stations within Bondo town revealed that stations had run out of super, diesel and Kerosene products with most of them opting to remain closed.
Only one filling station stocking diesel product was in operation on Thursday afternoon, a situation which has left both private and public transport operators with little option but to change their travel plans.
Speaking to the media, the director of Coldori Filling Station in Bondo Mr. Vincent Onyango Ochieng said they started experiencing the shortage on night of 25thDecember.
Onyango blamed the Kenya Pipeline Company for failing to supply them with the petroleum products on time saying the company should take responsibility for the two day shortage.
He said that he had ordered for fuel on the December 22, but was informed by the pipeline company that it would not supply new orders.
Onyango said they have lost business opportunities over the last two days, with many of their regular customers being disappointed when they find no fuel in their station
However, he expressed optimism that the current shortage will not last long as he expects the situation to be solved before the end of the week.
Boda boda and taxi operators interviewed by KNA said the current shortage had affected their businesses as they cannot ferry customers to various destinations.
Stephen Otieno, a boda boda rider who had ferried a customer from Gem Sub County which is about 40 kilometres away from Bondo expressed frustration and wondered how he would go back, since he had run out of fuel.
The public transport operators have now warned that they will hike fares if the shortage is not immediately addressed, since most of them have been forced to order for fuel in Jerri cans from the neighboring sub counties.
They have also asked the Kenya pipeline company and the local elected leaders to address the matter to enable them resume their normal business.
The situation with long distant public transport sector was however different, as they had not yet started experiencing crisis resulting from fuel shortage in the area.
Opondo Mangle, a road clerk at GUBA stage in Bondo disclosed that most long distant public transport vehicles plying Usenge-Kisumu route fill their tanks in Kisumu town and they have not been affected by the crisis in Bondo.
By Brian Ondeng’
