The persistent fuel shortage in the country has seen motorists spend as much as Ksh300 per litre of petrol with shrewd Kenyans joining the now lucrative petroleum business.
The fuel crisis - which has caused a nationwide uproar with the majority of filing stations running out of petroleum products - has led to motorists buying the commodity from unauthorised dealers who have set up makeshift outlets by the roadsides.
A spot check across the country shows desperate motorists buying fuel in bottles as small as one litre in capacity
Reports are emerging that these unlicensed Kenyans collude with brokers to adulterate and sell fuel to unsuspecting motorists at high prices.
Adulterated fuels are fuels that are contaminated or whose quality has been weakened by adding inferior quality ones.
In the past, hawkers who spoke to the media denied reports of selling adulterated fuel to motorists but claimed that their products are legitimate.
"There may be those who are doing that but I'm not," one of the hawkers stated.
Unlicensed suppliers tend to mix petrol with kerosene in order to increase their quantities and maximise their profits.
Dangers
Adulterated fuel can lead to engine malfunctions with frequent problems such as increased engine wear, loss of power and crankcase dilution, and low fuel spraying rate in the combustion chamber among others.
The fuel also poses chemical reaction dangers that may be harmful to the vehicle or the motorists as their chemical compositions has been altered.
Further, the fuel poses a threat to the environment and also increases emission levels.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has been hunting down suppliers selling adulterated fuels in various filling stations. This has led to the flagging and closure of a number of petrol stations across the country.
