The owner of a company based in the Industrial Area, Nairobi will be arraigned in court after police officers in collaboration with the Energy Regulatory Authority (EPRA) exposed some illegal activities in the gas refilling firm.
According to EPRA’s statement on Thursday, September 7, the company owner will be charged with violation of the practices related to the handling of gas and petroleum products.
EPRA noted that the company was refilling cylinders without obtaining prior written consent from the brand owner. The regulatory authority further noted that it had not allowed the company to refill the recovered cylinders.
Additionally, EPRA accused the company of refilling cylinders that had been defaced, and tampered with and others had illegible writings.
The regulatory authority added that some seized cylinders needed to be repaired while others were not fit for reuse and thus needed to be sold as scrap metal.
During the raid, EPRA observed that such cylinders exposed users to danger as they would explode due to gas leaks.
“Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and to immediately report any suspected instances of malpractice in the petroleum sector to EPRA Kenya through: compliance@epra.go.ke or hotline number or 0709 336 000,” EPRA advised Kenyans.
The raid came after gas prices were reduced drastically in the country. 6 KG liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders retailed between Ksh950 to Ksh1100, depending on the company.
Before the implementation, 6 KG gas retailed at over Ksh1,600 with the 13 KG cylinder crossing Ksh3,000.
The prices dropped by 40 per cent following the implementation of the Finance Act 2023 that exempted cooking gas from taxes, that is, the 8 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT), the 3.5 per cent Import Declaration Fees, and the 2 per cent Railway Development Levy
