Faulty accessories in market are to blame for gas fires, say dealers

Gas dealers in Mt Kenya have raised alarm over infiltration of faulty gas accessories in the market.

The dealers blamed the fake accessories which include, burners, pipes, grills and regulators on the frequent fire incidences in homes and business premises.

Chairman Joseph Ndung'u called for crackdown to weed out rogue dealers.

He said only licensed gas traders should be allowed to sell the accessories since they deal with quality and standard ones.

Ndung'u spoke during a sensitisation forum on proper use and handling of gas in Thika town on Thursday, 

“It’s high time the government tightened regulations governing the sale of gas accessories by ensuring that only licensed dealers are allowed to sell them. We are also urging gas users to go for quality accessories for safety,” he said.

The exercise attended by 400 gas retailers and residents was funded by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority and Kiambu county.

Ndung'u said they will be holding similar sensitisation forums across the region to impart requisite knowledge and skills.

“We are not only educating people on the safety precautions they should take when handling gas, but also measures to adopt in case of a fire outbreak," he said.

Thika town MP Alice Ng'ang'a said the initiative will help families and businesses avert losses.

“People have lost lives, businesses halted and properties destroyed due to fire incidences that could have been prevented if our people had the necessary knowledge. I am urging my fellow MPs to hold these sensitisation programmes in their respective areas,” she said.

Monica Monjos, a gas dealer in Thika town said the training will help her enhance safety at her business premise and at home.

“Some of the key things we have learnt is how to check if the gas has a leakage and how to prevent explosions. We have also learnt how to put out fire and save victims in case of an outbreak. We will trickle the information down to our end users,” she said.