The Ministry of Energy and Mineral resources has revealed that fuel alteration in Uganda have increasingly decreased from 29.1% in November 2009 to 5.1% in July 2011.

The ministry attributes this to a new concept of fuel marking and quality monitoring program initiated by government in collaboration with petroleum organizations.

Sirero Bwokunda the head of petroleum testing laboratories in the ministry of energy and mineral development says the program has also helped to curb smuggling and dumping of transit cargo distain for Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.
Bwokonda adds that marking alone is not enough if the products are not tested and oil companies are given monitoring reports of their testing results.

He was speaking at the fuel marking and quality monitoring program stakeholders meeting at Imperial royal hotel in Kampala.

Speaking at the same occasional, the head of criminal investigation department (CID) in police Edward Ocom noted that several challenges remain in the fuel industry.

Ocomu also called on authorities to carry out an impact assessment to ascertain the gravity of fuel alteration and its impact.
He also said culprits who are caught for altering fuel should be exposed to the public. Ochom noted that the statutory instrument 2009 on petroleum marking and quality control regulation does not offer punitive measures against such offenders.

He suggested payment of fines from 25 currency points in case of the first time offender and revocation of incorporating license of the petroleum products in case of the second offender.

By Mugisa Isaac Mathias