By Hassan Wekesa - Editor
Kenya, 8 October 2026 - Just a month after residents of Kibigori in Kisumu County had to cope with restrictions following a petroleum pipeline leak, another incident has happened, raising further safety concerns.
The incident, which happened on Thursday, involved a leak in a fuel pipeline that runs adjacent to the Nyando River.
The fuel spillage was allegedly caused by digging to construct gabions along the river bank to prevent soil erosion as the country prepares for El Niño rains. During the gabion construction, the fuel pipeline was tampered with, resulting in the spillage.
There are fears that the situation could balloon into a major catastrophe.
This comes just a month after another incident that put lives at risk.
In September, Kibigori residents with homesteads near the Railway Station were advised against cooking in their homes to reduce the risk of a potentially catastrophic fire while specialists attempted to contain the situation, after a fuel spillage was reported.
A tent was set up near the railway station, with Kenya Pipeline Company serving food to area residents until the September issue was brought under control.
Several of the experts deployed to carry out repairs were injured when fuel in the pipes ignited and the force of the blast knocked them off balance. Residents insisted that at least three people died in the incident. During the September incident, Dawan Africa's efforts to obtain official confirmation from Kenya Pipeline Company were unsuccessful. The person who answered the phone stated that only the Managing Director (MD) was authorised to release such information, if it existed at all, and directed the platform to contact him the following day.
The current acting MD of Kenya Pipeline Company is Pius Mwendwa.
A source, who requested anonymity, said local administrators took it upon themselves to inspect homes in the area to ensure that no cooking was taking place, citing the highly explosive nature of petroleum and the need to prevent further injuries or loss of life.
The Thursday incident comes barely days after another spillage was reported. These are not isolated cases. In 2025, Kenya Pipeline Company launched preparations to overhaul defective sections of its 122-kilometre product pipeline running between Sinendet in Nakuru County and Kisumu.
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The company acknowledged that the line, once considered reliable, had become increasingly susceptible to leaks in recent years.
Known as Line 6, the pipeline suffered at least three major product spillages between 2017 and 2022.
Those incidents resulted in substantial financial losses for the company and exposed both communities and the environment to significant safety risks.
Line 6 forms a critical spur of the Western Kenya Pipeline Extension, transporting refined petroleum products, including diesel, super petrol and jet fuel, from the Sinendet pump station in Nakuru County to the Kenya Pipeline Company Kisumu Depot near Kibos.
The route comprises two parallel underground lines: the original six-inch-diameter pipeline built in 1992 and a newer, higher-capacity ten-inch line commissioned to meet rising regional demand.
It terminates at the Kisumu Depot, from where it supplies the Kisumu Oil Jetty on the shores of Lake Victoria. The line serves as the principal conduit for fuel distribution to western Kenya and the landlocked East African states of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.
Concerned residents claim that inspections of the pipeline are no longer conducted as frequently as in previous years.
Another Fuel Leakage: Why Kenya Pipeline Company Must Overhaul the Kibigori Line
Concerned residents claim that inspections of the pipeline are no longer conducted as frequently as in previous years.