Vandals to blame for oil shortage, says national distributor

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By John Njiraini

The national oil distributor has blamed a fuel shortage in various parts of the country on vandals who destroyed the fibre-optic link to its various pumping stations, causing a communication breakdown.

Speaking to The Standard yesterday, Kenya Pipeline Company’s (KPC’s) Managing Director, Mr George Okungu said the vandals also cut Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) cables around Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), causing a blackout in various parts of Nairobi that also affected the oil distributor’s sub-stations.

"There was a serious vandalism at JKIA that destroyed KPLC equipment, and our fibre optic cable, that forced us to stop pumping because our stations could not communicate," said Okungu.

The power voltages forced KPC to shut down some stations, like Konza and Manyani.

system restoration

He added that engineers from the two companies were working tirelessly and had restored the systems.

Over the past few days, various parts of the country have experienced an acute fuel shortage that has forced motorists to queue for long hours at pump stations.

The worst hit areas have been Nairobi, Western, Central, Nyanza and Rift Valley Provinces.

The shortage, which is being experienced only a fortnight after two key oil marketers, Shell and Kenol, reduced pump prices from about Sh107 per litre to Sh75, has raised eyebrows, with some motorists saying some oil dealers may be hoarding fuel in order to push up the price.

Oil companies cut their prices following a sustained media campaign after crude oil prices in the international market fell from $147 in June to $45 yesterday.

Okungu explained that KPC uses electricity to pump fuel, and any vandalism of KPLC equipment is bound to affect the company, which consumes power worth Sh100 million per month. "If a voltage occurs, we have to stop pumping, because we cannot read what product is being pumped at what pressure when the screens are blank," he explained.

blame game

Okungu said KPC was often blamed unfairly, whenever there was a fuel shortage yet it is just one of the key players in the market.

For instance, he noted, when oil marketers who import the product fail to bring in the commodity on time, KPC suffers because it has no stocks to pump. He added that KPC couldn’t pump any fuel from the Kipevu Oil Storage Facility, unless oil companies cleared with the Kenya Revenue Authority.

The company is currently laying a robust infrastructure to ensure continuous fuel supply in the future, he added.