This archive report was first published on 7 January 2020.
January 7, 2020
Suppliers of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and the national regulatory agency are on a collision course over the implementation of new cooking gas rules.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has rejected a request by the Energy Dealers Association (EDA) to extend the implementation period of the laws by six months.
According to the Petroleum Act 2019, all LPG retailers, wholesalers, and transporters must hold licenses for each business location following the abolition of the compulsory LPG cylinder exchange pool.
EPRA Director General Pavel Oimeke maintained that there will be no further extension to the transition period, citing the six-month transition period that ended on December 31, 2019.
Mr Oimeke also pointed out that all applications for licenses have been processed within the required 30-day timeline.
EDA Secretary General Kepher Odongo had argued that the implementation of the new rules in January would not be feasible due to the lack of licenses and permits among retailers.
Mr Odongo also accused EPRA of double standards, claiming that multinational petrol stations dealing in LPG are allowed to operate without the necessary licenses.
“Why kill the businesses of common mwananchi at the expense of foreign companies? You cannot subject traders to get documents from other government agencies and then sit on them for 30 days. On this, we will go everywhere including Parliament, court of law and even hold countrywide demonstrations,” he said.
