46 arrested over illegal petroleum yards in Nakuru

An illegal fuel depot at Canaan area along Nairobi Mombasa highway near Voi town. /FILE
An illegal fuel depot at Canaan area along Nairobi Mombasa highway near Voi town. /FILE

The Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday raided three unlicensed petroleum sites in Salgaa, Nakuru and recovered 1,000 litres of contaminated petrol.

The operation by ERC officials in collaboration with officers from DCI and GSU also saw 46 suspects arrested.

The suspects will be arraigned on Wednesday.

"They will be charged for being in possession of adulterated fuels and being in possession of export-bound motor fuels," ERC said in a statement.

The agency in collaboration with the police last month arrested at least 99 people for operating unlicensed petroleum storage facilities in Industrial Area, Nairobi.

ERC, in a recent report, said the level of adulteration has reduced from a high of 25 per cent 19 years ago to 3 per cent as at 2017.

Early this year, Eqwipetrol chief technical officer Ben Ngugi reported that most adulteration happens during transportation of fuel.

"We call on the public to continue being vigilant and immediately report any instances of malpractice or suspected fuel adulteration activities to the commission," the statement reads.

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