Vivo defends Shell V-Power against poor quality claims

Vivo Energy Kenya has denied allegations that the quality of Shell V-Power fuel is substandard.

Managing director Peter Murungi addressed the concerns following a viral social media video that purported to test the fuel's quality at certain service stations.

Speaking to the press at a Shell service station in Nairobi on Friday, Murungi said all fuel undergoes multi-layered testing to verify its quality and ensure it meets the standards set by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) and Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) before it is dispatched to service stations across the country.

"Shell products have been developed with the highest technology globally. We ensure that we meet minimum requirements in product quality," he said.

The controversy arose from an online video showing a device allegedly used to test fuel quality, but Murungi said the gadget is not designed for fuel testing but for more basic substances, such as ethanol.

He stressed that legitimate fuel testing must be conducted in certified laboratories with proper methodologies and equipment to ensure accurate results.

In response to the viral claims, Vivo Energy Kenya commissioned an independent test by Intertek Testing Services to validate the quality of Shell V-Power.

Vivo Energy Kenya Managing Director Peter Murungi during a media briefing in Nairobi on February 7, 2025. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

The company said the results confirmed that Shell V-Power in Kenya fully met the required Research Octane Number (RON) of 95, a key indicator of fuel quality, and adheres to international quality standards.

Murungi's statement came a day after Kebs and Epra came out to reassure the public that the fuel in the market meets the required quality threshold.

"Following the recent circulation of reports and videos on social media, we have conducted comprehensive confirmatory tests on fuel samples from various petroleum retail stations, including those specifically mentioned in these reports," the statement said.

"We are pleased to inform the public that the results from these tests show that the fuel at all the sampled stations meets the required RON ratings as specified by Kenyan standards."

The statement also clarified that Super Petrol, marketed as premium fuel with higher RON ratings, consistently met these elevated standards.