The Ministry of Petroleum has alerted consumers of cooking gas in Kenya over new rules that will regulate the refilling of the LPG gas cylinders in the next few months.
Ministry officials in collaboration with the Energy Regulation Commission (ERC) will now require all consumers to get gas refilled by the vendor indicated on the cylinder.
Oil marketers are under instructions to reject gas cylinders that do not bear their brand in the new shift.
ERC conveyed that the decision to abolish the gas cylinder exchange pool has been backed by various stakeholders during the public participation phase of drawing up the new regulation.
[caption caption="ERC Director General Robert Oimeke addresses a past forum organised for stakeholders by the commission "]
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The body noted that it had placed under consideration that some consumers may experience challenges reaching oil marketers matching their cylinders as well as an occurrence where the LPG provider may have run out of gas supply.
"We are looking at the consumers’ interests as well as those of the industry and trying to strike a balance. It can never be one-sided.
"Following the consultation with the public, the consensus was that the mandatory cylinder exchange pool will go away," ERC Director General Pavel Robert Oimeke announced.
He added that an alternative system where a limited number of suppliers will be allowed to form an exchange pool was also under consideration to curb some of the challenges that may arise.
"In its place will be a mutual exchange pool where willing brands join in. The exchange pool will remain but in a different format whereby it will be made up of willing players.
"It is a model used in other markets and has worked. We will set a minimum number of players that can be in one pool to prevent against anti-competitive behaviour.
"We have received public comments and we have included them in the proposed regulations that we are currently taking through various stages of approval. It will then be presented to the Commission’s board next month," he explained.
[caption caption="Cooking gas cylinders bearing various oil marketing brands stacked up at a small-scale retailer's business"]
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