Wanted: Police Pursuing Seven Suspects In Embakasi Gas Explosion Probe
Three days following the gas explosion tragedy in the Mradi area of Embakasi, detectives from the Nairobi County police headquarters are actively pursuing seven individuals believed to be linked to the incident. The explosion has resulted in six fatalities and over 200 people being hospitalized.
The individuals under suspicion comprise Derick Kimathi, the owner of the unauthorized gas filling facility; Steve Kioko, Kimathi’s associate; the truck driver believed to be responsible for the explosion, whose status (escape or casualty) is yet to be verified; and four NEMA officials who were temporarily removed from their positions due to accusations of illicitly granting a license to Kimathi’s company.
Despite the police’s assertion that the suspect is in hiding, Kimathi, represented by his lawyer Wandugi Kirathe, refutes the claims, stating that he has been actively cooperating with the officers conducting the investigation.
“It is important to note that our client is not in hiding, he is available, he is within the public and has been in touch with sections of the police,” said Kirathe.
Kimathi refutes claims that the location of the incident was an unauthorized gas facility, asserting that it had served as a garage for several years.
Yet, the reason for the garage exclusively focusing on the repair of trucks carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) remains unclear.
“Our client had not been operating a gas filling operation in that place, the premises in the last few years have been operating as a garage and till Thursday it was still operating as a garage, the motor vehicle that caused this incident was trespassing into his property without his knowledge and consent,” said the lawyer.
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The attorney verified that Kimathi is involved in the transportation of LPG products. Additionally, it was noted that he applied for a license to run a gas-filling plant in the region from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) last year, but unfortunately, those applications were denied.
He contends that he abandoned the concept following EPRA’s refusal of his applications, citing the site’s lack of viability due to its proximity to the public.
Locals claim that the location served as an illicit facility for filling gas, attracting attention due to its more affordable gas prices.
“Leakage hukuwa wakati wakioperate most times huwanga wanaoperate usiku juu kazi yangu huwa wanaleta kutoa, walikuwa wanajaza macylinder mingi ilikuwa malori ilikuwa kuletwa na malori,” one resident, Philip Juma, told Gossipa2z.
After the occurrence, the government declared a series of actions aimed at ensuring adherence within the industry.
This involves conducting a new risk assessment for every LPG plant, aiming to shut down any sites that do not comply, demolishing any unauthorized sites, promptly implementing a government strategy for LPG growth, and enhancing the verification framework for LPG data, among other actions.
Wanted: Police Pursuing Seven Suspects In Embakasi Gas Explosion Probe
