The government has shut down 10 illegal petrol stations and oil dumping sites in Eldoret and others towns on the highway to Uganda over three weeks.
Uasin Gishu county commissioner Abdi Hassan on Wednesday said eight traders, involved in operating the illegal business, have been arrested and taken to court. He said a security unit has been set up to patrol the highway and stamp out the business.
Hassan said dumping and adulteration of oil products amounts are economic sabotage. “We are determined to end the illegal business in this region,” he said.
Energy CS Charles Keter next week is to tour the region to discuss the problem of dumping and adulteration of oil products. The CS has ordered deregistration of oil firms involved in the trade.
The Kenya Revenue Authority loses more than Sh1 billion annually to the illegal trade.
Hassan said police will arrest government officers involved in the illegal dumping of petrol, kerosene and other oil products.
He said the traders have been storing the stolen products in areas where they put residents lives at risk of fire, contamination and violence. “We will be raiding all those areas frequently to shut them down and arrest those involved,” he said.
Hassan visited Jua Kali area where dumping and adulteration has been going on for many years.
Governor Jackson Mandago blamed the KRA and police for the illegal trade. “We know it’s a lucrative business, which benefits some officers and we can’t allow it to continue. The officers involved must be dealt with,” he said.
Some lorries ferrying oil products for export are diverted to the illegal stations, where the oil is siphoned.The adulterated products damage farm machinery.