A young man siphoning fuel from a fuel tanker that crashed. Police in Lugazi were battling residents who rushed to accident scenes involving two fuel tankers. FILE PHOTO

The price of petrol and diesel has been low for three days in Lugazi Town, following an accident that involved two fuel trucks from Kenya.
The two separate accidents occurred on the night of August 28, involving two fuel tankers transporting fuel from Mombasa to Kampala.
The trucks overturned at almost the same spot on the Jinja-Kampala highway after the drivers lost control, according to Mr Chris Omaka, the Buikwe District traffic officer.
No deaths were reported, but the drivers sustained minor injuries. A crowd started siphoning fuel shortly before police arrived and fired bullets in the air to disperse it.
However, a few residents managed to tap the fuel from the swamps.
It is now being sold at a give-away price. A 20-litre jerrycan of petrol is selling between Shs15,000 andShs20,000, while that of diesel is going for as little as Shs10,000. One litre of petrol is sold at Shs3,900.However, police and local authorities are searching for those selling the fuel which is believed to be kept in people’s homes.
Police are also warning motorists to desist from buying it, saying it is not good for their vehicle consumption. “It’s definitely not good if you look at the way these people were fetching it from those trenches and swamps,” said the District Police Commander, Ms Caroline Akoth.
The cheap fuel has affected sales of the petrol stations in Lugazi.
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