Valve attached to the main Kenya Pipeline line from Nairobi to Kisumu depot after it was discovered on August 11, 2018, the second day after a siphoning cartel's pipe burst and overflowed thousands of liters to the stream. The owner of the racket was not yet established but police have some individuals in their custody. [Denish Ochieng/ Standard]

Controversy-ridden firm Zakehm International has accused the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) of ignoring the advice to install a leak detection system on its new pipeline.

Absence of the crucial technology has resulted in a major leak on the Sh48 billion pipeline, exposing KPC to losses of billions of shillings through fuel siphoning.

Zakehm, the main contractor in the construction of the Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline also known as Line 5, in a bid to clear its name said yesterday KPC outrightly ignored its advice.

The contractor noted that other than the absence of the leak detection system, the pipeline is laden with numerous flaws that were pointed out by its engineers for KPC to rectify from the onset.

"From the early stages of construction, Zakhem advised KPC on several occasions the need to install the leak detection system. KPC did consider this for a while and later canceled. This system would have deterred the reported attack on the line by thieves tunneling and puncturing the line to steal products and cause leakages," said the company in a statement.

Other areas of concern that Zakhem claims to have cautioned KPC on include the route and terrain that the pipeline passes through, where the design varied from the actual situation on the ground.

The flaws, it said, would continue to expose Kenyans to both costly modifications as well as environmental risks. These include anti-corrosion systems, which are yet to be put in place, as well as the close proximity of the new pipeline to the old pipeline (Line 1).

The firm is currently the subject of a probe by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for a tender variation where it had demanded an extra Sh4.4 billion for delays experienced in the construction of the Sh48 billion pipeline.