This archive report was first published on 8 September 2019.
Kenya's government has taken drastic measures to ensure the safety of its citizens by outlawing the exchange pool system for LPG cylinders. This decision comes after manufacturers of gas cylinders complained of illegal refilling, resulting in their brands being tarnished by increased cases of explosions or under-filling.
According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), a licenced distributor of LPG must have at least 5,000 cylinders and supply a maximum of 840 kilogrammes of gas per day. However, unscrupulous traders are allegedly doing as much as a million kilogrammes per month, leaving the government wondering where they are getting the additional gas to refill their cylinders.
One possible source of the additional gas is Tanzania, where no testing is done on LPG. With Kenya not having established any testing centres at the border between the two countries, there are fears that adulterated gas is making its way into the country.
Kenya and Tanzania have a long-standing diplomatic row over LPG safety issues, dating back to July 2017 when Nairobi banned LPG from Tanzania. The Energy Ministry had claimed the reason most LPG from Tanzania was adulterated was because it was transported by road through bulk trucks.
Tanzanian LPG companies export about 40,000 metric tonnes of LPG to Kenya annually, out of a total of 100,000 metric tonnes of the commodity imported into Tanzania.
