Top executives in Kenya’s energy sector have resigned amid allegations they manipulated fuel stock data to justify an emergency fuel purchase, President William Ruto’s office said on Saturday. The three who stepped down are Joe Sang, managing director of the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC); Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria, director general of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA); and Mohamed Liban, principal secretary for petroleum. President Ruto accepted Liban’s resignation.
The president’s office said the departures followed evidence of irregularities in the petroleum supply chain. According to the statement, data on fuel stocks appeared to have been altered to create a pretext for an emergency import, even though Kenya had several standing contracts in place. The government said suppliers Saudi Aramco Trading Fujairah, Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC Global Trading Ltd, and Emirates National Oil Company Singapore Ltd were meeting their contractual obligations despite the Iran war and disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement added that procurement of an emergency shipment that was allegedly overpriced and of substandard quality appears to have been arranged to exploit rising global prices and public anxiety, producing a false impression of an impending supply shortfall. The government pledged to protect public interest and investigate any act of economic sabotage, warning that those found responsible will face firm and decisive action.
Separately, Kenyan media reports say several senior energy officials have been arrested in connection with the scandal. The Standard reported that Joseph Wafula, deputy director of petroleum at the Ministry of Energy, and Joel Mburu, a KPC supply and logistics manager, had stepped down after arrest. The Daily Nation said five men were detained and detectives seized hundreds of millions of Kenyan shillings. One million shillings is roughly equivalent to 7,700 US dollars or 6,700 euros.
The disputed deal was part of a government-to-government procurement framework introduced in 2023 to smooth supply and currency challenges after the market turmoil and foreign exchange pressures seen in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kenya is relatively insulated from energy shocks because about 90 percent of its power generation comes from renewable sources, but the country still relies on petroleum for transport and other uses, leaving fuel procurement a sensitive issue.