Editor's Review

The CS claimed that the gas filling plant is not branded. He further wondered if the plant had obtained relevant authorisation from the government.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has secretly filmed the operation of a gas company that he argued posed a grave danger similar to what happened in the Mradi area, Embakasi. 

In a short video posted on his social media page, X formerly known as Twitter, Moses Kuria alleged that the said company is in a residential area. 

Kuria gave specific directions telling the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) that the gas company is next to Kiandutu Police Station.

The CS claimed that the gas filling plant is not branded. He further wondered if the plant had obtained relevant authorisation from the government.

Kuria however implored EPRA to carry out a risk assessment and ascertain if the company's operations are legal and the danger it poses to adjacent neighbours.

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A screengrab of the gas plant recorded by CS Moses Kuria. PHOTO | COURTESY

"Dear EPRA, this gas-filling place next to Kiandutu Police Station in Thika is the next Embakasi. What I know is that it's not branded. There is no name at the premises. What I do not know is whether its licenses. I suspect it is not. What I do not know is whether the reports from locals that the police spent whole day there receiving bribes are true. That is for you to verify," Moses Kuria wrote.

His report followed the tragic Embakasi gas explosion incident which left three people dead and over 270 others nursing serious injuries.

Later, EPRA exposed the said company at the centre of the explosion indicating that it was operating illegally. EPRA noted that it declined to issue the company an operating license due to its proximity to a densely populated residential space.

"Applications for construction permits for a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage and filling plant at the site were received by EPRA on 19th March 2023, 20th June 2023, and 31 July 2023. All applications were rejected as they did not meet the set criteria for an LPG storage and filling plant in that area," the statement read in part. 

"The main reason for the rejection was the failure of the designs to meet the safety distances stipulated in the Kenya Standard."

The incident has now compelled the government to launch a nationwide crackdown on gas dealers.

Here is the video;