Four senior officials in Kenya’s petroleum sector, including a Principal Secretary, are in custody following a dramatic Thursday night operation linked to a suspected dirty fuel scandal.
Those arrested are Principal Secretary for the State Department for Petroleum Mohamed Liban, Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) Director General Daniel Kiptoo, Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) Managing Director Joe Sang, and a senior petroleum department official identified as Simon Wafula.
The four are currently being held at Gigiri as investigations gather pace.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) carried out the arrests as part of a wider probe into a controversial consignment of fuel said to have failed to meet Kenya’s quality standards. Sources familiar with the matter said more officials are being sought for questioning.
The operation also saw investigators search the suspects’ homes, where they reportedly recovered documents and cash believed to be relevant to the inquiry.
At the centre of the investigations is the Government-to-Government (G-to-G) oil deal launched in 2023, which was meant to cushion the country against global supply shocks.
However, insiders now claim the arrangement may have opened the door for the importation of substandard fuel.
Officials privy to the probe say the consignment in question contained sulphur levels higher than those permitted in Kenya, raising concerns over potential damage to engines and environmental risks.
A quality assurance manager at KPC is said to have flagged the fuel after laboratory tests and declined to approve its offloading.
The manager reportedly came under pressure from some officials within the G-to-G framework to allow the product into the system but stood firm and escalated the matter.
That escalation is understood to have triggered the late-night crackdown that has now placed some of the country’s top energy officials under investigation.
The developments come against the backdrop of growing anxiety over fuel supply and prices, as tensions in the Middle East particularly the ongoing conflict involving Iran disrupt global oil flows.
The situation has forced some countries to turn to alternative suppliers, including spot market purchases on the high seas.
Despite the unfolding scandal, government officials have sought to reassure the public that fuel supply in the country remains stable for now.
However, with the probe widening and fears of price spikes looming, the arrests mark a significant moment for Kenya’s energy sector, raising fresh questions about oversight, accountability and the integrity of strategic fuel supply deals.
