Stop proliferation of illegal gas facilities in residential areas

An overview of the scene where gas exploded in Mradi area Embakasi on February 3, 2024. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Are our regulatory authorities inept or simply corrupt? I couldn't help but ask this question after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) said in a statement that the Embakasi gas plant, where three people were killed and nearly 300 injured last week following an explosion, had been operating illegally since EPRA had rejected three applications for permits to build a storage and filling facility at the site.

Grounds for the rejection? The facility's designs did not meet safety standards and there was a high population around the proposed site. So why then did it continue operating? Where was EPRA? The National Environment Management Authority has confirmed that the Environmental Impact Assessment licence for the plant was processed unprocedurally, meaning that some officers were compromised.