By Eddah Waithaka
The State of the Petroleum Industry held a short meeting with the theme: “Tackling Illicit Trafficking in the Petroleum Sector as a Key Catalyst for the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda – BETA”.
The meeting was attended by the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Administration, representatives of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) and the Petroleum Institute of East Africa (PIEA).
The session focused on fostering dialogue and cooperation on key industry issues and served as a platform to share insights and strategies aimed at improving legal and regulatory frameworks, promoting sustainable development in the energy and petroleum sectors, and highlighting the need for monitoring and security in the supply chain.
Speaking at the event, Dr Raymond Omollo, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Administration, outlined some new measures to curb the illicit trade in petroleum products.
“Firstly, we need to use advanced technology to monitor and control the supply chain to help detect illicit activities at an early stage. Rogue traders are constantly changing their
tactics and are now using technology to extend their territorial reach” said the Ps.
“We should not be left behind. I urge the petroleum sector to take advantage of our National Government Administrative Officers as coordinators of regular inspections and surveillance exercises at
the County levels owing to their reach, ” the Ps added.
“Secondly, there is need to update and strengthen legal frameworks to impose stricter penalties on those involved in the
illicit trade including government officials found to have approved Illegal facilities or turned a blind eye through corruption to
unlicenced facilities and vehicles transporting petroleum products without valid permits,” Dr. Raymond said.
Thirdly, the Ps added that educating the public about the dangers of using illegally sourced LPG and petroleum products can help reduce demand for such products.
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Sponsorships from entities such as the Petroleum Institute of East Africa in conjunction with Enforcement Agencies
and other public and private entities can amplify these efforts.
The last measure that the Ps noted is training law enforcement and regulatory personnel on the latest techniques for detecting and preventing the illicit trade as well as involving the petroleum industry players in developing solutions and
reporting suspicious activities can lead to a more comprehensive approach to tackling the issue.
A dedicated Energy Police Unit was already established to provide security to critical petroleum infrastructure and a review can be made to expand the
Unit to co-opt all other enforcement.
In conclusion, Dr Raymond urged members that the fight against illicit trafficking in the petroleum sector requires a multi-faceted approach involving cooperation between government agencies, industry players, the private sector and the public.
