Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Authority (RURA), on Saturday, August 14, announced that the price of petrol and diesel will remain untouched for 2 months. The global increase in oil prices and resulting hike in petroleum products prices will not affect Rwandans in the months of August and September after the government announced a move to subsidize the fuel products; petrol and diesel. Ernest Nsabimana, the Director-General of RURA, explained that without a subsidy, the prices of diesel and petrol would have risen to about Rwf1,172 for petrol and Rwf1,122 for diesel. This he said would have driven up transport costs of both people and goods thus driving up the cost of living. He added that the government efforts to subsidize fuel products is approximately Rwf 15 billion so far. According to Nsabimana, this is also in line to help Rwandans since the economy has not yet recovered and the price of fuel after September will be determined with the situation of oil prices globally as well as economic improvement. “This decision has been taken in order to avoid the effects on the economy which might be caused by the hiking in price of fuel products,” reads the announcement. It adds that the government will exempt the taxes usually charged on the fuel products; petrol and diesel. Government also intervened in subsidizing fuel prices in May this year.
