M7's Relationship With Minister kitutu Deteriorates As He Reveals Kitutu's Dirty Deals With Meddle Middlemen In Petroleum.

Museveni Fumes At His Servants For Dealing With Kenyan Middle Men To Hike Ugandan Fuel, Blames Minister Kitutu For Disobeying Presidential Orders

Museveni Fumes At His Servants For Dealing With Kenyan Middle Men To Hike Ugandan Fuel, Blames Minister Kitutu For Disobeying Presidential Orders

HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has clarified that he wasn’t aware that Ugandans were being overcharged on fuel as a result of importation from Kenyan middlemen.

Museveni via his X handle has said that it is so ashaming for a whole country to import petroleum products worth US$ 2bn annually, from middlemen in Kenya when it is possible to deal with the refineries abroad.

”Without my knowledge, our wonderful people [civil servants] were buying this huge quantity of petroleum products from middlemen in Kenya. A whole country buying from middlemen in Kenya or anywhere else!! Amazing but true. Why not buy from the refineries abroad and transport them through Kenya and Tanzania, cutting out the cost created by middlemen? Those involved were not bothered by these issues,” wondered Museveni.

He blames Mary Goretti Kitutu the former Minister of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda for not going by his orders.

”Some few years ago, I got to know this information from whistle-blowers. I handed the matter to Minister Kituttu to handle. About a year ago, I got to know that the matter was never handled. When I studied the issue, I discovered that we lose so much by buying through the middlemen,” said Museveni adding;

A check, on one occasion a few months ago, showed that the middlemen were selling us petroleum products at prices as indicated below per tonne.

Diesel:

I. Middlemen’s price – $118;

II. Price from bulk suppliers or Refiners -$83;

Petrol:

I. Middlemen’s price -$97.5;

II. Bulk suppliers or refiners’ price- $61.5;

Kerosene:

I. Middlemen’s price – $114;

II. Bulk suppliers or refiners’ price – $79

”These are prices when the products have arrived at the East African Ports. You can see the huge loss Uganda has been incurring on account of our wonderful people. We have now contracted bulk and refinery suppliers able to give us the lower prices. I have discussed this with H.E Ruto, the President of Kenya and our delegation is now in Dar-es-Salaam, discussing with Her Excellency Samia Suluhu,” adds Museveni

”H.E Ruto is handling the Kenyan part. I salute his contribution. In a few years’ time, our refinery will be up and running,” further adds Museveni.

”I can assure the Inland East Africans of competitive petroleum products, free of distributions caused by middlemen. The whole of Uganda, North-Western Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Western Kenya, South Sudan and Eastern DRC, will benefit.