For the past four months or so, there has been an increase in the prices of cooking gas in the country, which saw the commodity increase up to 25 per cent between November 2020 and March this year. For instance, a 12 kilogramme cylinder rose from Rwf12,000 to Rwf15,500 currently. The increment applied across different quantities and has been gradual, according to consumers. Other reasons such as high demand driven by the wintertime in western countries that experienced this type of weather conditions have been advanced. Naturally, for every layer created, the individual involved wants to make a profit and push the burden down the supply chain. The eventual victim is the end-user. This is the most plausible explanation for the hike because, the world has over the years been going through similar weather cycles but the spike in gas prices had remained relatively stable previously. What is happening instead is that as many people embrace gas as a source of energy, mainly due to the vigorous campaign by government aimed at curbing use of wood fuel for cooking, demand has been created. Subsequently, increased demand has led to an increase in the number of players in the market, hence the multiple layers of supply. The bad news is, things are getting out of hand, and many families are now increasingly finding cooking gas out of reach. Some are saying they will be forced to go back to using charcoal or firewood, which will only set us back on the gains made in restoring our forests and expose us further to more brutal effects of climate change. Already climate change is biting. Just last week, Rwanda Metrological Agency announced that weather patterns had changed in the past couple of years, with the country now experiencing both extremes of the dry and rainy seasons. All this was attributed to climate change. Returning to charcoal burning and firewood will only lead to more decimation of our forests and exposing us further to more brutal climate change effects. Government should therefore do two things; regulate prices for gas which will discourage the unscrupulous distributors, and, where necessary, subsidise the commodity to make it affordable for more families.
