NAIROBI Kenya – Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has said he is clueless about the reasons behind the recent resignations of several senior officials linked to the Sh4.8 billion fuel import scandal.
Speaking on Monday, April 14, Wandayi stated that he is not aware of the circumstances surrounding the resignation of former Petroleum Principal Secretary Mohamed Liban, former Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) Director General Daniel Kiptoo, and former Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) Managing Director Joe Sang.
“As to why the three or so officers resigned, I cannot say, because I do not know why they resigned. What I know is that investigations are going on,” he said.
According to Wandayi, the decision made by the trio was personal, and resignations are voluntary, so officials are not required to publicly explain their choices.
“And you know a resignation is a voluntary thing; when you resign you can have your reasons and you are free to state them or not,” he added.
The CS further explained why the 60,000 metric tonnes of super petrol linked to the fuel import scandal were declared substandard, revealing that the oxygenates in the consignment exceeded the permitted limits.
He said certain chemical levels in the imported fuel were outside the required specifications.
“On March 27, Kenya Pipeline received the load port report of the analysis for the consignment. Based on the report of analysis, the State Department for Petroleum sent a waiver of certain parameters that were out of specification,” he stated.
“As per the load port report of analysis, the oxygen, manganese, sulphur and benzene were observed to exceed the limit provided.”
Oxygenates in petroleum refer to both naturally occurring contaminants in crude oil and additives in refined fuels, which influence refining processes as well as product quality, corrosion control, and safety standards.
Wandayi dismissed claims of interference in the testing process conducted by the Kenya Pipeline Company to assess the quality of the fuel.
“KPC conducted due diligence for the consignment as per its internal procedures, including review of the load port report of analysis after it was submitted by the importer, and pre- and post-recharge testing by the KPC laboratory,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Energy CS assured Kenyans there was no risk to the public, saying the importer ensured the substandard fuel was not released into the local market.
