A source that spoke to the Business Daily last evening said that the company was engaged in high-level talks with the Interior and Foreign ministries to overturn the sudden decision.
However, the talks for rapprochement came a little too late, as the government raced to take action against entities accused of worsening the fuel crisis.
Energy secretary Monica Juma confirmed on Thursday that Mr Bergeron left the country Wednesday evening and termed recent actions by oil marketing companies (OMCs) as “acts of economic sabotage”.
A last-ditch effort by Rubis Energy Kenya to save its CEO, Jean-Christian Bergeron, from deportation after the State revoked his work permit failed on Wednesday evening as authorities stepped up a clampdown on oil marketers over the fuel shortage.
A source that spoke to the Business Daily last evening said that the company was engaged in high-level talks with the Interior and Foreign ministries to overturn the sudden decision.
However, the talks for rapprochement came a little too late, as the government raced to take action against entities accused of worsening the fuel crisis.
Energy secretary Monica Juma confirmed on Thursday that Mr Bergeron left the country Wednesday evening and termed recent actions by oil marketing companies (OMCs) as “acts of economic sabotage”.
“In view of the foregoing I, therefore, confirm to the nation that the CEO of Rubis Kenya has left the country,” Dr Juma said during her media address.
The move to send the Frenchman parking could be linked to the company’s involvement in selling more petroleum products in the neighbouring countries, which the government has blamed for the current shortage.
An analysis by Epra over the last four weeks released on Tuesday showed that leading oil marketers reduced their fuel allocations for Kenya in favour of the regional market where they can make more money.
The CS said that some OMCs intentionally failed to meet the required minimum operational stock plunging the country into crisis when Kenyans met stock-outs at respective retail stations.
Rubis controls 8.6 percent of the local market, making it the third biggest marketer after TotalEnergies and Vivo Energies. The sister company to Rubis, Gulf Energy controls 2.7 percent of the market.
Some of the companies reportedly increased the share of fuel they sell to the neighbouring countries to over 60 percent against the traditional 40 percent to ease their cash crunch, leaving their retail pumps locally dry.
Dr Juma also promised Kenyans in her address that the government would bring to book all players found to have had a hand in the current crisis.
“That we will go to the full hog to bring all persons and companies who are in breach of their licensing and operating guidelines to book, as we cannot allow private entities or any other person to disrupt our way of life and our cherished freedoms,” she said.
To return fuel distribution to normalcy, the CS has ordered authorities to allow fuel tankers to move across the country on a privileged basis to stabilise supply in 72 hours while retailers have been urged to operate 24 hours.
