The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is the first state agency to act on President William Ruto's directive as regards the deadly gas explosion in Embakasi in the late evening of Thursday, February 1.
Speaking in Kakamega on Saturday, February 3, Ruto suggested that the tragedy came about due to the laxity on the side of the officials charged with regularising operational licenses.
Ruto regretted that corruption superseded the safety of the people in the residential area adjoining the gas plant.
He therefore ordered their dismissal, subsequent arrest, and later their arraignment to face justice.
"In Nairobi the other day, there was an explosion causing severe burns to people and others dying due to laxity, dishonesty and corruption by government officers. I have instructed the Ministry that those responsible for issuing the licence for the plant to operate where it should not, be fired, arrested, and detained today," said Ruto.
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Moments later, NEMA would issue a statement underscoring the president's call for accountability.
The agency admitted to the gaps in the issuance of the operating license of the gas plant despite earlier assessments recommending otherwise.
It established that four of its top brass members were culpable of the dishonesty thus ordering their suspension in the face of a probe.
"Preliminary investigation has revealed that four NEMA officers unprocedurally processed the license and are therefore culpable. The Board therefore directs that the implicated officers step aside immediately pending further investigation by the relevant government agencies," said NEMA in its statement.
NEMA accused the quartet of going against the provisions of the corresponded between it and other relevant agencies during the probing of the gas firm's suitability before issuance of the license.
The suspended officials were; the Director of Environmental Compliance, Acting Deputy Director Compliance, Head of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) section and Senior Environmental Officer in the EIA section.
Earlier, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) exposed the gas firm for flouting the law.
In a detailed statement, EPRA threw the company under the bus insisting that it did not meet the required standards to earn an operating licence.
EPRA declined to give the company an operating license due to its proximity to the residential areas as stipulated in its regulations.
"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."
According to EPRA, they directed the company to o submit a Qualitative Risk Assessment, outlining the radiation blast profiles if an explosion occurs.
However, the company did not comply but instead went on to set up the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage and filling plant.
"The applicant never provided the requested QRA resulting in the rejection of the applications. Email correspondences providing reasons for the rejection were sent to the applicant," EPRA noted.
