GOVERNMENT VOWS TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL LPG OPERATORS AS NEW SAFETY REGULATIONS TAKE EFFECT

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  The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has reaffirmed its commitment to cleaning up the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) sector, warning that joint enforcement operations targeting illegal refilling and illicit trade will be intensified nationwide.  
  In an official statement released on August 26, 2026, Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Hon. J. Opiyo Wandayi pushed back against political interference, emphasizing that public safety remains the top priority.  
  "LPG safety is paramount to the consumer and for this reason we urge politicians to refrain from attacks to public officers and law enforcement agencies legitimately performing their duties," CS Wandayi stated. "The Government will not succumb to pressure from politicians and cartels hellbent to benefit from LPG illicit trade."  
                 
              (Center) Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi 

 The Ministry's crackdowns stem from the LPG National Growth Strategy approved by Cabinet in October 2023, aimed at transitioning households from biomass to cleaner energy alternatives. Central to this plan are updated legal frameworks under the Energy Act and Petroleum Act.  
     Key legal provisions include the Petroleum (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Regulations, 2025 (Legal Notice 189 of 2025), gazetted in November 2025. Under these rules:  
•All LPG businesses must hold valid operational licenses and adhere to strict compliance standards.  
•LPG cylinders must be clearly branded, restricting refilling and trade solely to authorized brand owners.  
•Enforcement is carried out through joint operations involving the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), the National Police Service, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Confiscated inventory undergoes formal accounting in the presence of operators, who are provided a fair hearing prior to legal action.  
   To further boost market transparency, the government is developing a centralized LPG cylinder tracking system to monitor cylinder sales and require individual serialization for full traceability. Procurement for the system is currently underway under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act.  
  Additionally, following a December 2024 Cabinet recommendation, Kenya is integrating LPG, Heavy Fuel Oil, and Bitumen into its 23-year-old common petroleum import system via the Petroleum (Importation) (Amendment) Regulations, 2025, published in March 2025, to safeguard quality and pricing stability.  

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