Players in the oil industry have asked
the government to crack down on
rogue cooking gas businesses to safeguard
the market and ensure safety of
Kenyans.
The Petroleum Institute of East Africa
on Wednesday said illicit refilling
of Liquefied Petroleum Gas is still
rampant, exposing Kenyans to danger
while denying genuine players revenues.
“People go stealing cylinders from
formal players, refill them illegally
without paying taxes, then sell at a
lower price to the consumer. The process
is not properly done, so the cylinders
have the chances of exploding
and causing accidents,” PIEA chairman
Powell Maimba said.
The institute has named Nairobi as
the most notorious in the business followed
by Kiambu. Other major towns
are Nakuru, Eldoret and Busia.
Maimba said though the government
has stepped up the war against
the illegal gas business, it is still thriving.
“Some of these individuals are
known but they shift. They are like a
virus. You find them today, they close,
and re-invent into mobile refilling,” he
said. Oil marketers presented a report
and a list of illegal gas dens to the Energy
Regulatory Commission in October,
indicating 70 per cent of the LPG market
“has gone rogue”.
The companies, which sell their
products mainly at petrol stations,
have accused the police and the judiciary
of letting culprits go scot-free.
MPs and top government officials
are among those said to be behind the
lucrative business.
“It may take time, but as an industry
we will continue putting pressure on
the government and enforcing agencies,”
Maimba said.
Rogue businessmen
refill branded gas cylinders from
major companies.