The government has issued a stern warning to business people operating unlicensed Liquefied Petroleum Gas(LPG) businesses to put their house in order before the law catches up with them.
Speaking in Kieni, Nyeri county, Energy PS Alex Wachira warned of dire consequences for those found contravening the laid down operating procedure.
He further said that the government will not sit and watch as unscrupulous business men endanger the lives of other Kenyans in the name of making profits.
“We are coming for you. We will not watch as you endanger the lives of Kenyans. We are coming for you regardless of who you are with the help of the ministry of Interior through the Energy Police Unit and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority(EPRA). We shall ensure that Kenyans are safe,” said the PS.
“If you know very well that you are operating illegally it is high time you close shop. Otherwise there will be very bad consequences so please comply,” he added.
The PS said that the ministry will be conducting a nationwide crackdown weed out the unregulated LPG distributors.
According to the Wachira, gas operators in residential areas will not be spared either as the government moves to ensure compliance with the laid down safety checks before the cylinders are sold to members of the public.
“We are hearing a cry from the multinationals and the big companies who are filling gas that for every 10 cylinders they release to the market, they only get two or three back. Seven are refilled illegally. So we are asking you as the gas operator to buy from a regulated distributor of the gas facility,” said the PS.
“The big companies have regular re-phasing of cylinders, but the illegal refillers do not have the capacity to monitor the safety of the cylinder. So if for one reason or the other the cylinder was due for replacement then you buy it and it explodes in your premises, you are also endangering yourself. So we are asking Kenyans to buy cylinders from dealers licensed by EPRA,” he added.
His remarks come just a day after a gas explosion occurred in Mradi area in Embakasi, Nairobi on Thursday night.
The fire is believed to have broken out when a tanker carrying LPG exploded at 11.30 pm leaving three dead and 280 others nursing serious injuries.
In a press statement on Friday, EPRA confirmed that the gas filling station where the explosion occurred had been operating illegally.
The regulator stated that it had rejected three applications from the same enterprise for failing to meet the safety standards set out for an LPG filling and storage plant.
While condoling with the families who lost their relatives, the PS termed the incident as unfortunate and urged for vigilance among members of the public.
He similarly called for patriotism and strict enforcement among the Energy Police Unit and EPRA, when conducting their regular compliance inspections.
“What I am asking from the security officers is to be patriotic and think about the lives of Kenyans.
You are the one who is surveying and enforcing, please enforce without fear or favour and do not be curtailed. You need to realize that you can also be affected directly,” said the PS.
By Wangari Mwangi
