(Ecofin Agency) - In Uganda, towards ending corrupt practices by fuel dealers, the ministry of Energy has warned the latter to comply with fuel test requirements at border points or have their licences withdrawn.

Speaking at a meeting in Kampala recently, the ministry’s commissioner of petroleum Rev Frank Tukwasibwe, said that the corrupt practice is still rampant on the market.

Although the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) performed fuel marking and testing at the ports, it still has not stopped the problem of corruption in the country.

“We will continue to enforce compliance so that all the dealers have a leveled ground of doing business,” Mr. Tukwasibwe said.

He announced that from next month, the ministry will introduce high-tech equipment at Uganda's border points so as to guarantee that all fuel entering the country is tested. Fuel not meeting up to the country’s standard will not be allowed in.

According to David Ebiru, the Deputy Executive Director of UNBS, marking entails the application of easy-to-trace chemical technology into the fuel to detect adulteration. He added that the capability of all dealers to comply will put an end to those habits.

Fuel truck drivers in the country conspire with retailers on public road to cheaply sell some petrol to them and then replenish with kerosene.

Peter Kitimbo, the supervisor, fuel marking program at UNBS, said mixed fuel on the market has dropped from 10 % in 2012 to about 5% this year. He said the bureau's target was to eliminate the corrupt practices by 100 %, the Observer reports.