Motorists in Tororo are increasingly relying on jerrycans to secure fuel as the town’s filling stations run dry, marking a sharp escalation in a fuel shortage that has persisted for over a week. At multiple stations across the town, including major outlets along the Tororo-Mbale highway, pumps have been shut down or operating at severely reduced capacity, forcing drivers to queue for hours with containers in hand.
Local traders and transport operators say the scarcity has disrupted daily commerce, with motorcycle taxi drivers reporting doubled waiting times and some choosing to idle their vehicles rather than risk running out mid-journey. A fuel distributor based in Tororo, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, confirmed that supply trucks from the main depot in Jinja have not arrived as scheduled, citing logistical delays linked to recent road maintenance on the eastern corridor.
Residents have begun adapting by pooling resources, with groups of neighbors contributing money to buy fuel in bulk and distribute it in small quantities. However, this informal system has led to price surges, with black market rates for a liter of petrol reaching up to 4,500 Ugandan shillings — more than double the official pump price — according to spot checks conducted by community monitors in the town center.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has not issued a public statement on the Tororo shortage, though officials in Kampala have previously attributed regional fuel disruptions to fluctuations in imported refined product arrivals at the Port of Mombasa. No timeline for restoration of normal supply has been communicated to local authorities in Tororo, and repeated attempts to reach the district’s fuel oversight committee have gone unanswered.
Meanwhile, the National Fuel Committee, which meets weekly to monitor national stock levels, has not convened an emergency session despite similar reports emerging from other eastern districts including Mbale and Soroti. Industry analysts note that Uganda’s strategic fuel reserves remain below recommended thresholds, a condition that has persisted since the beginning of the year due to delayed replenishment cycles.
As of the latest update, filling stations in Tororo remain intermittently operational, with some receiving small allocations every 48 hours — enough to serve only a fraction of demand. No official date has been set for a full resumption of service, and residents continue to depend on jerrycans and informal networks to maintain essential movement alive.
