The Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) has effectively stopped a fuel leak that occurred today morning in the Kanyamedha district of Kisumu county along the Sinendet-Kisumu pipeline.
According to the Pipeline company’s Managing Director Macharia Irungu, the Emergency Response Team was dispatched to the site where emergency measures were promptly launched.
“Among them, containment and recovery of hydrocarbons by reticulation of the product back to pump station (PS) 28 in Kisumu to prevent it from spreading further,” Irungu said.
The incident, which happened at around 12:30am, saw police cordon off the Kondele-Airport bypass in a bid to deter locals from collecting the spilled fuel.
Firefighters similarly used firefighting foam in a bid to neutralise the effect of the spillage.
He called on the residents to stay away from the site to enable the KPC team to undertake the repairs to minimise the dangers of the spillage.
“KPC is working closely with the Provincial Administration, the Police OCPD and other relevant arms of government to ensure the safety of members of the public,’’ he stated.
Irungu assured the members of the public that the incident has not affected petroleum products availability both in the country and the region.
An excavator was brought in to help prevent the spillage from getting into the nearby River Kisat and finally into Lake Victoria, where it would endanger human and aquatic life.
In a similar event in 2020, an oil pipeline belonging to KPC broke in Eldoret, causing spillage into water wells in Maili Nne area.
KPC, however, distanced itself from the spillage, saying that the areas affected were “too far” from its facilities.
Residents of Eldoret reportedly found few wells heavily contaminated with oil during a time when the area faced water shortages.
The spillage saw residents of Kibwezi East sue KPC and Nema, seeking compensation from the spill, they claimed, affected their crops and killed their livestock.
Caption
Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC)
By Njoki Maina
