Police officers were overwhelmed on Wednesday morning by tens of residents
who descended on an overturned fuel tanker to siphon petrol.
The incident happened along the busy Nairobi–Mombasa Highway specifically at
Kiboko in Kibwezi West, Makueni County, at about 7:00 am when the tanker lost
control and overturned.
Witnesses said locals rushed to the scene almost immediately and began
siphoning fuel using 20-litre jerricans, despite the grave risks.
Two police officers who initially responded to
the scene were unable to stop the crowd. According to witnesses, some of the
locals threatened to set the tanker ablaze if the police attempted to block
them.
The officers were forced to watch from a distance as the group continued to
drain the highly flammable petrol.
“There is tension in Kiboko market with traders
closing their shops for fear that fire could erupt from the scene of the
incident,” one eyewitness told The Star.
Authorities and safety experts have
consistently warned that siphoning fuel from accident tankers is extremely
dangerous.
Petrol is highly volatile, and even the smallest spark—such as from a phone,
static electricity, or a match—can trigger massive explosions.
Kenya has witnessed deadly incidents in the
past when crowds rushed to collect spilled fuel.
One of the worst disasters occurred in 2009 at Sachangwan in Molo, Nakuru County, when a tanker
caught fire as residents siphoned petrol.
More than 100 people were killed in the inferno.
Another tragedy was recorded in 2013 in Busia County, where a fuel
tanker burst into flames, killing at least 13 people who had been collecting
fuel at the scene.
In 2021, a similar disaster struck in Siaya County when a fuel tanker
overturned at Malanga, along the Kisumu–Busia road.
At least 13 people died and
more than 20 sustained severe burns after the tanker exploded while locals were
scooping fuel.
These tragedies highlight the dangers of
siphoning fuel from overturned tankers, but the risky behavior persists in
parts of the country, often driven by poverty and the lure of quick money.
The incident in Kiboko once again underscores
the urgent need for public education on disaster safety and stronger
enforcement measures to secure accident scenes.
