Manhunt for 26 in fuel scandal as ODM defends CS Wandayi

Police have launched a manhunt for 26 individuals linked to the importation of substandard fuel as investigations into the scandal that forced top energy officials to resign gather pace.

Investigators said on Tuesday that the individuals were adversely mentioned during the grilling of senior energy officials, who were released on Sh100,000 cash bail on Sunday.

Most of those being sought are members of the Vessel Alignment Committees (VAC), technical teams that coordinate fuel imports and maritime logistics.

Their role places them at the centre of cargo sourcing and vessel scheduling decisions.

“We have not gotten most of the persons of interest. For instance, one of the officials who resigned is a key person in this issue and is yet to record a statement,” an official familiar with the probe said.

Those who resigned include Petroleum PS Mohamed Liban, Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) director Joe Sang, EPRA director general Daniel Kiptoo, KPC logistics manager Joel Mburu and petroleum director Joseph Wafula.

Fresh details have also emerged pointing to possible breakdowns, or deliberate circumvention, of procedures within government agencies.

Sources indicate the Energy ministry may have been sidelined in critical correspondence leading to the importation of the consignment.

A letter by Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui recommended waiving fuel quality standards for the shipment.

While the letter referred to earlier communication from the petroleum department—PS Liban’s March 26 and March 27 letters—ministry sources say no physical copies reached the Energy CS’s office.

“The physical letters never reached the CS’s office, and there are mechanisms to verify that. It must have been deliberate, and the CS was just copied for cover-up,” a source familiar with the matter said.

Notably, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) did not respond directly to the waiver request initiated by the Petroleum PS, Liban.

Instead, Kinyanjui wrote to inform Wandayi of the recommendation to waive the standards (KS EAS 158:2025).

A copy of the letter shows it was dated March 28 but received at the Energy ministry on March 30, days after the first vessel had already docked and its cargo discharged.

It is understood that upon receiving the letter, Wandayi ordered the second shipment halted, although by then the first consignment had already reached the dock.

“The letter was being received when the first ship had already been discharged. It was useless since it related to cargo that had already been offloaded,” the source said.

Investigators are now grappling with how the cargo was discharged without formal approval, given that Kebs had not responded to the waiver request.

“The question we are grappling with is: where did they get approval from to discharge the ship? How was the waiver conveyed?” the source posed.

In his communication, Kinyanjui indicated the waiver was conditional. He said the fuel would be subjected to inspection at the destination.

He further directed that the consignment be blended with existing stock to dilute excess manganese. EPRA and the Kenya Pipeline were to oversee controlled distribution.

This was to be done pending the arrival of another consignment that would further mitigate the quality concerns.

In a statement on Tuesday, Wandayi said the government had directed One Petroleum Ltd, the company that imported the product, to immediately withdraw its invoices.

Oil marketing companies were also instructed not to pay for or uplift the product from the consignment. The firm was ordered to re-export the fuel.

“One Petroleum Ltd is directed to exit this product out of Kenya as soon as possible,” the Tuesday, April 7 statement read.

The Energy ministry has also directed EPRA to exclude the consignment from this month’s price review.

“The government will remain vigilant to ensure that no individual, company, or stakeholder engages in artificial shortages or unjustified price increases,” Wandayi said.

He maintained that the controversial 60,000 tonnes consignment was imported in contravention of G2G procedures.

“This action posed a risk to the integrity of a system that has consistently safeguarded supply security and pricing stability,” he said.

The G2G framework involves international suppliers, including Aramco Trading, Fujairah FZE, ADNOC Global Trading Limited, and Emirates National Oil Company.

Meanwhile, ODM leader Oburu Oginga defended Wandayi and Kinyanjui, saying they are not accounting officers. However, he said they should not be spared if investigations establish responsibility.

“Attempts at public lynching of Cabinet Secretaries will only derail investigations and politicise the scam,” Oburu said.

“This is a time when the nation must close ranks and support the full slaying of the dragon of graft, and not for scoring points through public rallies, pressers and name-calling.”

Preliminary findings show that officials at the Ministry of Energy raised concerns on March 18, 2026, over a possible fuel shortage linked to the Iran conflict.

The concerns were escalated to the VAC, which facilitated the sourcing of a fuel shipment priced at $110 per barrel outside the Government-to-Government (G2G) framework, raising red flags over cost and procedure.

An earlier ministry statement revealed sharp pricing discrepancies between two fuel shipments delivered in March.

Petrol supplied by One Petroleum aboard MT Paloma landed in Mombasa at Sh198,855 per tonne. Fuel under the G2G arrangement, supplied by Gulf Energy via MT FOS Mercury, cost Sh140,111 per tonne.

The Sh58,744 difference per tonne would have pushed pump prices up by about Sh14 per litre, making the G2G cargo significantly cheaper.

Investigations are ongoing as authorities pursue the remaining suspects and seek to establish accountability for the irregular importation.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

President William Ruto has promised to crush cartels in the oil sector, drawing comparisons with the sugar and coffee sectors. His administration believes the officials involved manipulated figures to justify the controversial imports.