Prime Minister James Marape has ordered immediate action to resolve delays in fuel subsidy payments, warning that bureaucratic inefficiency will not be tolerated as some service stations face temporary closures.

He revealed that K576 million remains in a Central Bank trust account designated for fuel subsidies, while K246 million has already been paid to importers.

“We have a K576 million sitting in the Central Bank trust account right now while K246 million has already been paid,” Prime Minister Marape said.

“This is inefficiency on the part of the bureaucrats- Treasury, Finance, Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC), and Central Bank.”

Prime Minister Marape said he is investigating why payments have not been processed to address the disruption and warned that officials failing to act could face dismissal.

“I am getting to the bottom of this as this is below government level, why they have not attended to this national crisis situation.”

“The government has done its part. We have created a public policy space, made available a K1 billion facility, with the funds sitting at Central Bank.”

“Why it is not being moved out is something I'd like to find out. If it means sacking some people who are not working, we will sack people.”

The government has already released K300 million of the K1 billion facility allocated to maintain fuel prices at April 2026 levels.

The intervention is aimed at shielding consumers from price increases, but operational delays have led to closures at several service stations.

“I have instructed the relevant offices to attend to the matter today and restore normal supply.”

“We are working to fix what went wrong along the supply chain.”

In addition, the Prime Minister also commended the Minister for Rural and Economic Development Joseph Lelang, for leading the initial response, alongside the Treasury and Finance Ministers to coordinate with stakeholders.

“Treasury, Finance, the Central Bank, commercial banks, ICCC, fuel importers, and fuel retailers, must work in unison to deliver on government policy and ensure consistent supply to the public.”

He appealed to the public for patience while authorities restore normal operations.

“We ask the public to bear with us today as we resolve this issue and restore services.”

The government reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining stable fuel prices and ensuring uninterrupted supply through coordinated action across all agencies.