The National Police Service (NPS) in coordination with the Energy Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) confiscated 284 substandard and defaced gas cylinders.
During the well-organized raid on a local company in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, on Friday, January 13, police officers and EPRA officials arrested the owner of the illegal gas refilling plant who is set to be arraigned in court.
According to EPRA, the 284 filled Liquefied Petroleum and Gas (LPG) cylinders did not meet the laid-out guidelines in accordance with Legal Notice 100, the Petroleum Act, No.2 of 2019.
One of the offenses that the business owner is accused of contravening is the refilling of a cylinder by a person or entity other than the brand owner as well as the refilling of a cylinder without the prior written consent from the brand owner.
If permitted, the consent, according to the law, should be submitted to the authority.
In addition, the trader was accused of refilling cylinders that are defaced, tampered and bear illegible writings.
Furthermore, he was accused of refilling gas cylinders that are due for repair, prequalification, or written off as scrap.
"Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and to immediately report any suspected instances of malpractice in the petroleum sector to the Authority," EPRA warned.
According to the Act, those found guilty of refilling, trading, or rebranding cylinders without direct consent from the brand owner are liable to a fine of not less than Ksh10 million.
Additionally, stocking and offering for sale cylinders that do not meet Kenyan standards attract a fine of Ksh20,000 for each non-conforming cylinder.
"Failure by LPG licensee to comply with the obligations set forth in these regulations will attract a fine of not less than Ksh200,000 for each offense," reads part of the Act.
Other offenses include failure to report an LPG related accident within the prescribed 48-hour period, failure by cylinder wholesalers to maintain mandatory records prescribed in the regulations as well as the import of LPG through undesignated routes.
It is also an offence to import, export, or transport LPG without a valid licence issued by the authority.
