In light of the recent incidents involving gas explosion cases, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) launched a crackdown on illegal gas plants operating across the country, including the deregistration of those operating without a license.
Obtaining a license to operate a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Petroleum business in Kenya requires several documents and steps.
Application Form
The first step is to download an application form from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s (EPRA) website, fill it out as instructed and send it to their offices, who upon review will send it back within 30 days.
Register with the Energy & Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) Portal
Through the authority’s website, applicants are required to create accounts under the EPRA’s customer portal, which provides the option of opening a personal account or a business account.
In the case one has an existing account, users are required to use the user login option to access their accounts and other services as provided in the portal.
Select License Type
Once you have created an account, an applicant can then proceed to apply for a Petroleum Business Licence and LPG business Licence, where you will be prompted to select the categories of Licence you wish to apply for.
After thirty days, the authority will then either grant the license if they dim fit or deny it for various reasons as highlighted on their website.
In consideration of the risks involved with running a Petroleum Business, licenses are issued subject to strict requirements and conditions.
Required Documents
Some of the documents required for the registration of a Petroleum or LPG business include a copy of the Certificate of incorporation for companies, a Business registration certificate for sole proprietorships and partnerships, a list of shareholders and directors- CR 12s-which should not be more than one year after the date of obtaining, proof of land ownership with the lease agreement duly executed in the name of the owners of the business and a valid tax compliance certificate.
Others include a class G work permit for non-citizens, a Business permit from the respective County Government, an Environmental Impact Assessment license, a Fire clearance certificate from the respective county fire department, a Certificate of registration of workplace, a weighing scale calibration certificate for the underground storage tanks, a fuel dispensing meter calibration certificate and a pressure test report for the storage tanks.
Also required is a certificate of compliance with the Physical Planning Act and an Identity card for locals or a Passport for non-citizens.
The State Department for Internal Security and National Administration on April 3, 2023, launched a nationwide LPG and Petroleum Business Registration exercise, which was conducted in all sub-counties.
