Senior executives in Kenya’s energy sector have stepped down following allegations of manipulating fuel stock data and approving an emergency fuel shipment at inflated prices, the office of William Ruto said on Saturday, according to Reuters.
Ruto accepted the resignation of Mohamed Liban, the principal secretary for petroleum. The Kenya Pipeline Company also confirmed that its managing director, Joe Sang, had resigned, while the director general of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria, also stepped down, according to the statement.
The government said a formal investigation has been launched into suspected irregularities in Kenya’s petroleum supply chain.
It explained that manipulated stock data was used to justify the emergency importation of fuel, even though existing supply contracts with Saudi Aramco Trading Fujairah, ADNOC Global Trading Ltd of Abu Dhabi, and Emirates National Oil Company Singapore Ltd were still being fulfilled.
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Authorities alleged that the emergency cargo was overpriced, of lower quality, and purchased at rates far above those agreed under current contracts.
“This appears to have been done to exploit rising global prices and public anxiety, thereby creating a false impression of an impending supply shortfall,” the statement said.
The investigation comes at a time of heightened fuel supply concerns linked to the Iran conflict, which has disrupted global energy markets.
The government added that administrative actions have been taken against other officials, and arrests have been made by investigative agencies. However, it did not name those arrested, and no charges have been filed so far.
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Image Credit: Deutsche Welle
