Embakasi Explosion: NEMA Official Arrested After Suspension Of 4 Colleagues

One of the officials at the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) was arrested on Sunday night, February 4 following a directive by President William Ruto for the arrest and prosecution of officials who issued licences to the gas plant linked to the Embakasi explosion on Thursday.

The official, a director at NEMA, was arrested, with Nairobi Police Commander Adamson Bungei confirming the same. The official is assisting police with investigations as the police boss reiterated the commitment to apprehending all individuals involved.

“We have one of the officials in custody and the search for more including the owners of this plant is ongoing,” he said.

A photo of NEMA offices in Isiolo. /NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (NEMA)

He added that police are pursuing at least seven suspects connected to the explosion, including Derick Kimathi, the owner of the illegal gas filling plant, Steve Kioko (Kimathi’s partner), and the truck driver suspected of causing the explosion.

The status of the driver, whether he escaped or perished in the incident, remains unconfirmed.

As part of the ongoing investigation into the explosion and the resulting fatalities, authorities plan to conduct autopsies on the victims, and those found culpable may face charges related to murder.

The victims and their families are hoping for compensation from both the owners of the yard where the explosion occurred and the government.

On Saturday, February 3, moments after Ruto's order, four NEMA officials were suspended in connection with the Embakasi explosion that has since claimed the lives of six people.

The four include the Director of Environmental Compliance, the Acting Deputy Director of Compliance, the Senior Environmental Officer of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) section and the Head of Environmental Impact Assessment and were accused of issuing a licence to the gas plant unprocedurally.

At the weekend, Wandugi Kirathe addressed a press conference saying owners of the plant were cooperating with police, denying claims that they had gone into hiding.

He also refuted claims that the site of the incident was an illegal gas plant, contending that it was a garage for several years. However, police involved in the case raised suspicions about the garage, emphasizing that it specialized in repairing trucks transporting Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

Kimathi operates in the LPG transportation business and had previously submitted applications to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) for a license to operate a gas-filling plant in the area. These applications were rejected in 2023 because the site was unsuitable due to its proximity to the public.

Residents claimed that the location was, in fact, an illegal gas-filling plant that offered cheaper gas, and the government has responded to the incident by implementing a series of measures to enhance compliance in the sector.

These measures include conducting fresh risk assessments for all LPG plants, closing non-compliant sites, demolishing illegal facilities, launching a government LPG growth strategy, and strengthening the LPG data verification framework, among others.