Across-the-brand sale of cooking gas begins

“Every retail outlet is required to maintain properly calibrated weighing instruments to allow consumers to verify the net content of LPG cylinders,” Mr Mwirichia said in a notice in Monday's newspapers.

While ERC has made it mandatory that LPG cylinders be fitted with a single unified valve that will require one uniform regulator, the Energy ministry has already gazetted separate regulations to cover the operational and licensing requirements for importation, storage, filling, whole sale, retail and transportation of LPG.

Known as the Energy (liquefied Petroleum Gas) regulations, 2009, the new rules aim to enhance public safety, increase consumer access to LPG, encourage competition and curb unfair business practices. Kenya has banned importation and local manufacturing of cylinders that do not have standardised valves.

The transition to unified valves and standard cylinder capacities 1, 3, 6, 13 kgs was to have been realised by October 1, this year. That timetable followed the enactment three years ago of rules governing the design of cylinder valves and regulators.

Exchange cylinders

The new rules were meant to enable consumers to freely exchange gas cylinders for any brand as per the capacities provided for by law.

The expectation is that such a move would be followed by the fitting of all cylinders with unified valves.

Oil marketers’ lobby, the Petroleum Institute for East Africa (PIEA), says the LPG pool is the key instrument that the industry will use to facilitate cylinder interchange.

“The exchange or interchange methodology under the pools operational procedures clearly outlines the systems that will facilitate trading of filled cylinders on a size for size basis at the points of sale and collection of empty cylinders by brand owners from collection points to brand owners facilities for safety checks and refill,” said PIEA’s chief executive Wanjiku Manyara.

“Every retail outlet selling cooking gas will have a properly calibrated weighing instrument for certification of the net contents of cylinders,” added Ms Manyara.

Previously, unlicensed operators not only sold underweight gas cylinders but also compromised the safety of consumers by failing to conduct routine maintenance checks.

There have also been concerns over rampant overfilling of cylinders and the threats they pose to marketers and consumers.