Embakasi tragedy: Killer gas plant had no permits, EPRA says

All applications were rejected for permits for the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage and filling plant at the site of the gas explosion in Nairobi's Embakasi area, which killed at least three people.

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) said this in a statement on Friday amid a probe into the explosion that has also left more than 270 injured. An investigation into the tragedy has been opened.

In the statement, EPRA said it rejected applications for construction permits in March, June, and July 2023 as the safety criteria for such facilities in the area were not met.

“The main reason for the rejection was the failure of the designs to meet the safety distances stipulated in the Kenya standard,” it said, further noting the high population around the proposed site.

The authority said it requested the applicant to submit a Qualitative Risk Assessment report detailing potential blast profiles in the event of an explosion. Blast profiles, it said, are simulated by the use of computer software and indicate the effect of a typical blast in terms of heat radiation and tremor. They are useful for reviewing the safety of surrounding areas.

“The applicant never provided the requested QRA, resulting in the rejection of the applications. Email correspondences providing reasons for the rejection were sent to the applicant,” said EPRA.

Enforcement

Following EPRA's statement, the question of enforcement upon the denial of such permits arises.

The authority said it has formulated short and medium-term measures to guarantee the safety of all LPG plants in Kenya.

"This is through actions such as detailed technical audits ... with the objective of ensuring high safety integrity status in terms of health, safety, security and environment (HSSE)," it said.

EPRA added that administrative actions are usually taken to ensure revocation of the licences of all plants that do not meet the standards.

Such plants are then demolished, it said.

EPRA officials to face Senators

Meanwhile, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said the Senate will summon EPRA officials over the explosion and ask for a list of all gas refilling plants in the country, their locations and emergency safety mechanisms.

In his remarks following the incident, Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura said the company was refilling gas cylinders when the fire broke out.

He said that of the injured, 21 were at the Kenyatta National Hospital, 160 at Mama Lucy General, 19 at Mbagathi, 14 at Modern Komarock, and eight at Nairobi West Hospital.

"The scene has now been secured and a command centre is in place to help coordinate rescue operations and other intervention efforts," he said. "The Government also is in the process of doing everything possible within its means to assist the victims and help restore normalcy in the affected area."

The inferno further damaged several vehicles and commercial properties, including many small and medium-sized businesses, as well as some homes.

Similar incidents have taken place in Kenya in the past, among them a fire from a pipeline fuel spill in a slum in Embakasi in 2011, which left at least 100 people dead. In 2018, a fire at the Gikomba market killed 15 people and injured at least 70.