Petroleum PS, KPC and EPRA bosses resign amid fuel shortage fraud
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 4 – Petroleum Principal Secretary Mohamed Liban, Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) Managing Director Joe Sang and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo have resigned following allegations of manipulating national fuel stock data to trigger an artificial sense of shortage.
Chief of Staff Felix Koskei said preliminary findings indicate that the officials are suspected of falsifying in-country fuel stock levels, allegedly creating panic and an impression of an impending fuel supply crisis.
According to Koskei, the manipulated data was used to justify emergency fuel procurement outside the established Government-to-Government (G2G) framework, leading to a shipment that was allegedly overpriced and of substandard quality.
“The emergency shipment was procured in blatant breach of the G2G framework, in complete disregard of established emergency procurement procedures,” Koskei stated.
The alleged scheme reportedly took advantage of rising global oil prices and heightened public concern, influencing urgent procurement decisions that bypassed normal accountability safeguards.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing, with authorities expected to review procurement processes, fuel import documentation, and internal data reporting systems across key energy agencies.
The developments come in the wake of a broader crackdown within the energy sector, which saw several senior officials arrested in an early morning operation on April 3.
The three who have resigned and Deputy Director of Petroleum Joseph Wafula were taken to DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road for questioning, although Liban Mohamed was later released after reportedly developing medical complications.
Investigators are probing the alleged diversion of a 60,000-metric-tonne fuel consignment that was initially destined for Angola but instead rerouted to the Port of Mombasa under unclear circumstances.
The shipment, carried aboard the vessel MV Paloma, is believed to have docked in Mombasa between March 27 and March 29, 2026.