The owner of the Embakasi gas filling plant, which exploded on Thursday night resulting in three fatalities and over 280 injuries, has spoken out for the first time.
Derick Kimathi, through his lawyer Wandungi Karathe, asserted that his client was not operating a refilling station but rather a motor garage. Karathe claimed that the truck causing the explosion was trespassing on the premises without Kimathi’s consent.
Despite applying for a gas-filling plant license in 2023, which was rejected, Kimathi did not commence the business. The lawyer emphasized that Kimathi is not evading authorities and has been cooperating with the police during the ongoing investigations.
President William Ruto has ordered administrative action against several government operatives in the energy sector related to the Embakasi explosion.
Ruto, speaking in Kakamega, suggested that laxity among officials responsible for operational licenses contributed to the tragic incident. He instructed the Ministry to take immediate action, calling for the firing, arrest, and detention of those responsible for issuing the license for the plant to operate in an unauthorized location.
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has suspended four officials in connection to the explosion. The suspended individuals include the Director of Environmental Compliance, Acting Deputy Director Compliance, Head of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) section, and Senior Environmental Officer in the EIA section.
