Keep the pulse on the reserve fuel gauge

Keep the pulse on the reserve fuel gaugeThere is no more appropriate period of time than now for this saying to come true – that when a richer neighbour sneezes, the whole neighbourhood catches cold. Kenya has erupted into violence overnight following alleged stolen elections. What does this have to do with a Rwandan residing deep in Cyangugu, one might ask? Plenty, as can be seen with Uganda which is reeling under the impact of the disturbances in Kenya. Uganda and Rwanda are landlocked countries, hugely depending on imports from Kenya which is our nearest gateway to the sea. Now that Kenya is unstable, these imports have suffered a great blow, but most especially fuel imports. Fuel prices in neighbouring Uganda have skyrocketed at the few fuel stations that still have some oil in stock, and those are few. We shall not be spared these shortages either, getting our fuel supplies from Kenya as Uganda does. However, with judicious management, we should not be in the same position. Rwanda might not be well-endowed with natural resources, but it has a rich mix of human resource managers who are committed to doing right by their country and countrymen. We appeal to the authorities to be on a sharp look-out for those unscrupulous individuals who might either want to increase fuel prices on the sly, or even attempt to sell to speculators or dealers who will then sell it to the needy motorists. We should also not wait for our reserves to run dry before dispatching trucks using the Central Corridor to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to get us fuel here. We have to dispatch them now. It is also at such times like these that the ordinary man, told exactly what is happening, will truly appreciate a leadership that saw it fit to shoulder the greater burden of fuel through a huge government subsidy, thereby having a measure of control over prices. Otherwise we would be worse off than Uganda now, not only in terms of hoarding, but also scarcity and spiraling fuel prices, since we are much further from Kenya. Ends