The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (Epra) has shut down 14 petrol stations that were found to be selling adulterated fuel.
The stations, spread across the country, were among 1,321 sampled fuel vendors whose products were tested between July and September and were part of 17 found to be non-compliant.
Three others, all of which were found to be selling diesel and super petroleum meant for export, were fined penalties and taxes of between Sh115,000 and Sh305,000 and allowed to continue operating.
“From the tests, 1,304 (98.71 percent) of the sites were found to be compliant. However, tests from 17 (1.21 percent) sites turned out to be non-compliant,” Epra said in a notice Monday.
Most of the closed stations were found to be selling super petrol or diesel containing high sulphur, which worsens the environmental impact of burning the fuels and interferes with vehicle engine performance.
In Kenya and the rest of the East African Community, the allowable maximum sulphur content in diesel and super petrol is 50 parts per million (ppm) and any product found to be above that should not be sold in the local market.
Other stations were found to be selling diesel or super petrol contaminated with kerosene, which experts say can clog vehicle filters and ultimately damage the engine, in addition to increasing emissions from its combustion.
Fuel sellers may contaminate diesel or petrol with kerosene to reduce their costs and maximise their profits, because kerosene is much cheaper than both petrol and diesel, thus increasing their quantity while selling at the same price.
One station in Kilifi was closed down for selling super petrol suspected to have been smuggled from a neighbouring country, while others were illegally selling petroleum meant for export, perhaps as a means to evade taxes.
