President William Ruto has instructed the Ministry of Energy to prosecute those who authorized the gas refilling company implicated in the Embakasi blast catastrophe.
Speaking on Saturday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Chekalini ESP Market in Lugari, Kakamega County, the President charged the officials with incompetence and aiding and abetting corruption by circumventing the licensing laws.
For this reason, he gave the ministry the job of dealing decisively with the rogue officials about the incident that resulted in over 280 injuries and three fatalities.
"The government officials who issued licenses for gas installations in residential areas, when it was clear that it was wrong…but because of incompetence and corruption, they issued them, and today we have injured and dead citizens," he said.
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"Those fellows involved, the mi
nistry must immediately take action against them and they must be dismissed and prosecuted for the crimes committed."
Following the revelation by the Energy Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) that the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant involved in the Embakasi catastrophe was not operating legally, Ruto made his statement.
On Friday, Interior Minister Prof. Kithure Kindiki and Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir repeated a statement released by EPRA, which revealed that the company's three permit applications (dated March 19, June 20, and July 31) to build a gas plant were all denied due to non-compliance with established criteria.
"Twice, in March 2020 and January 2021, the plant that was illegally constructed at the said location was demolished by EPRA and the operators charged in Court," they said in a statemen
