Queues of fuel tanks stretching over a km snake through the border point as Uganda which depends largely on Kenya for her imports tried to bring in enough fuel reserves as the Spector of violence hang over the neighboring country. Most of the fuel tankers were from Mombasa, Eldoret, and Kisumu and they were headed to Jinja where the reserves were located. The drivers said, the delay to have their tankers cleared at the border meant that they would not be in a position to deliver the required volumes of fuel before the pipeline in Kenya close. “They said it is Monday and Tuesday, they are closed tomorrow at midday until after elections and if there is a problem in Kenya they will not open.” “We are taking this fuel to TOTAL Kampala, it’s a government fuel so these people are delaying us here.”

Some drivers had already spent two days at the border stranded. “Crossing the border from Kenya to Uganda; the delay is here. In Kisumu and Kampala, we proceed very well but the only problem is here, you can take two days here.” “We are meeting many challenges here in Busia; one from the UBS so we want the government to intervene between UBS and URA.” “You can see even before the border, there are also so many trucks coming to cross the border before maybe in the evening it will be more trucks in this yard.”

Charles Egesa an official at the Inland Busia Container Depo said the huge numbers of the fuel tankers was a deliberate plan by the government to bring in enough fuel. “The government has come in to try to mitigate this situation. We are bringing in more fuel to cater for our use internally here.” Said, Charles Egesa. During 2007 elections, Uganda run short of fuel after an ethnic violence between Mwai Kibaki supporters against Raila Odinga’s converted the country.