Deputy President William Ruto at a press conference on Monday, April 4, 2022 claimed that fuel in Uganda is cheaper than in Kenya.
“How come fuel in Uganda is cheaper than fuel in Kenya? Yet the fuel which goes to Uganda goes through Kenya,” he quipped.
Piga Firimbi looks into the veracity of these allegations.
Background
In the current politically volatile season, Piga Firimbi has caught politicians spreading misinformation over public addresses. This includes William Ruto’s Chatham House speech that included inaccuracies in his efforts to showcase the number of Kenyans on the Credit Reference Bureau and the input of agriculture to the economy among other claims fact-checked here.
His Chatham House speech was closely followed by Raila Odinga’s, who spoke about the state of democracy in Africa, and included inaccurate figures about Kenya’s economy before and after the 2008 post-election violence, among other claims fact-checked here.
So is the president culpable of lying to the public, as Piga Firimbi found a false representation of his Linda Mama programme over his eighth state of the nation address as fact-checked here.
Verification
According to Ugandan media reports, fuel prices in the country had spiked since December 2021. Prices of petrol had risen to around 4,200 UGX (136 KES) a litre and 3,800 (123 KES) for diesel, a report published by The Independent in February 2022 states.
At the time, fuel prices in Kenya were at; petrol 129.70 a litre and diesel, 110.60 a litre according to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
In accordance with Section 101(y) of the Petroleum Act 2019, Legal Notice No.196 of 2010 and Legal Notice No. 26 of 2012, @EPRA_Ke has calculated the maximum retail prices of petroleum products which will be in force from 15th February to 14th March 2022. ^BO pic.twitter.com/P5gTt69NrP
— Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (@EPRA_Ke) February 14, 2022
A more recent report shows that current prices in Uganda are about 5,100 UGX for a litre of petrol, and 4,400 UGX for a litre of diesel. This translates to 165 KES for petrol and 142 KES for diesel.
Ugandan journalist Pius Enywaru told Piga Firimbi in a phone interview that a litre of fuel is currently at 5,240 UGX (169 KES) in Kampala where he is based.
“Prices started hiking last year around October,” he said, “It started when there was a blockade at the border and government blamed it on that, when truck drivers were not allowing to test for COVID-19.”
He said that just like in Kenya, there’s also an ongoing fuel shortage in Uganda.
In contrast, current fuel prices in Kenya are cheaper than in Uganda. A litre of petrol in Kenya currently retails at around 134.72 KES compared to the 165-169 KES in Uganda. In Kenya diesel currently retails at around 115.60 KES a litre over the 142 KES in Uganda.
In accordance with Section 101(y) of the Petroleum Act 2019, Legal Notice No.196 of 2010 and Legal Notice No. 26 of 2012, @EPRA_Ke has calculated the maximum retail prices of petroleum products which will be in force from 15th March to 14th April 2022. ^BO pic.twitter.com/C9daRaFtKr
— Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (@EPRA_Ke) March 14, 2022
Verdict
William Ruto’s claim that fuel prices in Uganda are cheaper than in Kenya is FALSE.
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