Vitol, UNOC now accused of failure to protect petroleum products from adulteration, siphoning

In the wake of accusations of supply of adulterated petroleum products, now Uganda National Oil Company and VITOL Energy Limited are being accused of failure to protect fuel trucks from siphoning.

Recent videos and images circulating on various social media platforms show individuals siphoning fuel from moving trucks within the city, an act which analysts say could spark deadly disasters.

This newspaper understands that Uganda has in the past witnessed deadly accidents where people who tried to siphon fuel were killed when the fuel caught fire.

Hotspots for fuel siphoning include Busia, Jinja, and Banda as well as Northern Bypass and Namuwongo area.

Kampala police spokesperson Patrick Onyango told this newspaper they were investigating cases of fuel siphoning in the said areas.

He warned those involved of severe punishment once arrested.

VITOL-UNOC deal

Vitol Energy partnered with the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) to become the sole importer of petroleum products into Uganda.

This partnership aims to ensure a more reliable and potentially cost-effective supply of fuel for the country.

The agreement was prompted by Uganda’s desire to move away from the Open Tender System (OTS) and Government-to-Government (G2G) approach used by Kenya, which was seen as potentially impacting pump prices