Digital Solution to Crack Down Evasive Violators of Fuel Standards

The government has introduced a digital monitoring system to track dealers involved in transferring red-flagged fuel stations. The digital solution, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), is aimed at helping apprehend non-compliant fuel stations that evade penalties through transfer of ownership to new players across the country. 

The development was revealed during the Fuel Marking and Quality Monitoring awareness workshop with local leaders in the Greater Masaka region, organised by both UNBS and MEMD. 

According to the Fuel Marking and Quality Monitoring Supervisor, Peter Kitimbo, when some of the fuel stations are found non-compliant, they undergo the four stages of penalisation; however, towards the final stage that involves revoking the license, the non-compliant fuel stations transfer ownership to new players without informing MEMD. 

“We are to assign stickers with unique identifiers and GPS Coordinates to each fuel station. With this technology, we are able to identify who the fuel station owner is, and under this new arrangement, the new owner will be responsible for all the non-compliance penalties of the previous owner,” Kitimbo said. During the workshop, the stakeholders called for the regulation of single pumps in hard-to-reach areas, raising concerns about their fuel quality.

“We have seen standards applying to retail stations but we have many single pumps off the main roads, and they do not meet the standards. Who regulates them?” a one Tonny Odek asked.

In response, the Commissioner for Petroleum Supply at MEMD, Rev. Justaf Frank Tukwasibwe revealed that the current laws cover fuel filling stations and service stations, however, laws can be drafted to cater for single pumps too. 

“We must appreciate the status quo. We have come from a time of shortages to a few fuel operators in the country and to many competitors now. We also appreciate the fact that deep in the villages where boda-bodas are the main means of transport, oil companies are yet to reach there," he said.

Tukwasibwe also decried the fact that there are new challenges regarding compliance that cannot adequately be tackled by the existing laws. "The most appropriate thing to do, however, is to look at our MPs who are responsible for making laws to look at this issue more critically and draft the laws governing single pumps,” he added.

Fuel consumers were urged to buy fuel from stations with UNBS stickers, as proof of regulation by UNBS and MEMD, to ensure the consumption of quality fuel and value for money. They were also encouraged to be vigilant during the fuel purchase to avoid being cheated.

Prior to the workshop, UNBS and MEMD carried out sensitisation campaigns with the public in the greater-Masaka region at Buwama, Lukaya, Matete, Sembabule, Rushere, Lyantonde, and Masaka. 

The Fuel Marking and Quality Monitoring Program, implemented by the government of Uganda, is designed to control and monitor the quality of petroleum products in the entire supply chain in the country. UNBS encourages the public to report any cheating tendencies by fuel stations to UNBS using Toll Free line 0800133133/0800233233 or using the WhatsApp line 0713227580.