Throughout the world, the energy sector is one of the most regulated segments of the economy because any mismatch in there usually leads to inestimable destruction of property and loss of lives.
Indeed, petroleum is a special product whose handling requires an unusual attention and practice.
Against this backdrop, we find the warning by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) that Mombasa residential estates have been infiltrated by petroleum dealers running petrol stations to miss the point since that is their turf, even if they don’t directly regulate the sector.
The environment watchdog has a big role of assessing impact of such businesses and the Energy Regulatory Commission should be guided by best practice and the law.
For that matter, the two agencies are either sleeping on the job or the existing laws are weak that they are posing danger as far as safety goes.
Indeed, Nema should not be raising the alarm that these businesses are stretching the limits, it should, for example, be warning that it’s facing difficulties in its inter-agency talks to rid the estates of these looming dangers.
But because these ugly gaps have created the said porousness and allowed an irregularity, we urge both agencies and others holding a regulatory or administrative thread in the energy sector to wake up and tame this dangerous business and return to what is acceptable.
It will be regrettable when the so-called action or cracking the whip is arrived at in a knee-jerk step after loss of lives.
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