Ruto's Crackdown On Illegal Gas Businesses Takes Effect

The State Department for Internal Security and National Administration in collaboration with the State Department for Petroleum on Wednesday, March 29 announced the launch of a nationwide LPG and Petroleum business registration exercise.

Interior Principal Secretary (PS) Raymond Omollo and his counterpart for Petroleum, Mohamed Liban, revealed in a joint statement that the exercise is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 3, 2023, and will run through to Friday, April 14, 2023, a period of 12 days.

The registration will be conducted in all sub-counties by National Government Administration Officers (NGAOS) in collaboration with the Energy & Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

"The registration drive aims to enhance the management and regulation of LPG and petroleum businesses in the country and will involve the collection of data and information from all LPG and petroleum businesses.

"The exercise will help to ensure that all LPG and petroleum operators are compliant with safety regulations, thereby minimizing the risk of accidents and protecting the public," the statement read in part.

PS Omollo reiterated that the government remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens and the effective regulation of the petroleum sector.

He encouraged all LPG and petroleum dealers and traders to participate in the registration exercise.

"Upon expiry of the registration period, all unregistered LPG and petroleum businesses will be deemed to be non-operational," added the statement.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) announced that it launched a crackdown on facilities that were selling Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) illegally in Nairobi. 

EPRA divulged that it had already visited over 50 LPG sites and shut down 21 facilities that did not adhere to the stipulated rules and regulations to ensure the safety of the general public and consumers of LPG and petroleum.

According to the regulator, the crackdown conducted in collaboration with the Interior Ministry was under its Rapid Results Initiative.

“Let us all play our part in promoting safety and compliance by reporting any suspected cases of illegal LPG and petroleum facilities. Stay safe, and stay compliant,” cautioned the authority.

One person was arrested during the crackdown for operating an LPG facility without a license and transporting products that did not conform to Kenyan standards. 

On January 28, EPRA advised Kenyans to collect receipts when refilling their LPG at various points in the country as required by the law to ensure they were purchasing safe products. 

According to the Petroleum Act (Liquified Petroleum Gas) Regulations of 2019, dealers who fail to maintain proper records of their sales face a fine of Ksh50,000.

On Thursday, March 2, President William Ruto turned his guns on unscrupulous individuals swindling Kenyans through cooking gas, warning them that their days are numbered after he exposed how they cheat their customers by taking advantage of the directive, by refilling gas cylinders to less than the required full amount.

Image of a gas plant in Kenya. /TWITTER.EPRA KENYA