Counties

Landowner arrested as police widen KPC fuel siphoning probe

kpc

Kenya Pipeline Company managing director Joe Sang speaks to journalists at Koru in Kisumu County on Monday. PHOTO | TONNY OMONDI | NMG

Police have arrested one person in connection to the siphoning of fuel at the main pipeline in Koru, Kisumu, in an investigation targeting Kenya Pipeline Company employees (KPC).

Polycarp Ocholla was on Tuesday afternoon identified as one of the accomplices linked to the illegal connection of a network of pipes leading to a petrol station in Koru.

The connection was discovered Friday last week and devices used for siphoning and product transfer confiscated by the police.

Kisumu County CID officer Geoffrey Kathurima said Mr Ocholla is the owner of the land and had leased it to another suspect said to be carrying out the illegal activities.

“Mr Ocholla had gone missing, but we traced him in Koru. He is an accomplice and will be assisting with investigations as we try to unravel the mystery and get hold of all those involved,” said Mr Kathurima.

The CID boss also said they are investigating officials from KPC over the matter.

It was next to impossible for such an operation to take place without the involvement of somebody within the KPC, Mr Kathurima said.

Initial findings from the KPC revealed that the criminals had connected siphoning equipment to the pipeline running underground and channelled the petroleum to storage tanks at the petrol station.

“Some of the questions we are raising is how the suspect being sought knew where the diesel is. There must be someone on the inside who would have aided the suspects. We will widen our investigations,” said Mr Kathurima.

According to residents, they noticed some liquid that was oozing from the ground and after keen assessment discovered that it was diesel.

This, they said, prompted them to contact the Kenya Pipeline officials who confirmed that the fluid was indeed diesel and the spill was as a result of an illegal connection.

The Nakuru-Kisumu diesel line since been repaired, according to the KPC managing director Joe Sang.

Mr Sang said the company completed the repair of the line on Saturday evening.

“The pipeline is back to normal and with fuel available,” said Mr Sang in a statement sent to newsrooms yesterday.

He attributed the slow completion of repairs of the line to the rocky terrain and rains in the area which he said hampered the evacuation in order to access the pipeline.