An opinion poll conducted by Vision Group in March shows that high fuel prices featured prominently among the concerns of voters across the country. Kigogoro drilling site in Bulisa district. With Uganda producing its own fuel, prices are expected to go down. CITIZENS MANIFESTO|ELECTION WATCH
Emmanuel Mugisha, a businessman and resident of Mbarara district, is a supplier of bananas, tomatoes, and cassava, among other food items.
He buys foodstuffs from smallholder farmers in western Uganda and supplies them to markets such as Nakawa and Nakasero in Kampala.
Mugisha told New Vision that his business relies so much on fuel prices. As such, he treats pump prices as a key factor in his business plan as it partly determines the final commodity selling price in the different markets.
"Fuel prices have been increasing, which is really affecting us as players in the transport business. I spend a lot on transportation of my goods, with little profit in return," Mugisha said.
He explained that he incurs higher costs because doing business in rural areas sometimes becomes costly due to the bad state of roads.
This is because service providers increase prices to cover the additional cost of fuel, vehicle maintenance and additional repairs, which are all heaped on players like him.
The challenges Mugisha is facing were reflected in an opinion poll conducted by Vision Group.
The survey carried out every after five years, aims at gauging opinions and perceptions of all potential voters towards socio-economic, political and cultural issues. The survey is always done ahead of a general election.
The study was conducted between March 13-24, covering 45 districts across the country, with a sample size of 5,987 respondents aged 18 years and above.
Findings The study revealed that there is a serious problem of high fuel prices and high costs of doing business in the country.An overall ranking of the top issues that affect communities put high fuel prices eighth, with 5.7% of the total respondents highlighting this as a major hindrance.Health (14.3%), poverty (10.1%), education (9.3%), road network and transport issues (8.9%), national security (7%), water and sanitation (5.8%), agriculture and food security (5.7%) topped the list as the most pressing concerns the voters want the presidential candidates to address.Citizens in the western region have the biggest challenge of high fuel prices, according to the survey.The findings indicate that up to 6.1% highlighted high fuel prices as a problem, compared to the central region’s 5.7%. […]
