By Hassan Wekesa - Editor
Kenya, 9 October 2026 - Kisumu Governor Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o on Friday called for impartial investigations and fair compensation for residents around Kibigori and Muhoroni following a fuel spillage into the Nyando River and its environs.
In a media statement issued on 9 October 2026, Prof Nyong’o said the reported accidental fuel spill from Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) infrastructure poses serious risks to public health, the environment, livelihoods and critical national infrastructure.
This comes even as KPC, in its initial response, stated that it suspects intentional interference with the Sinendet-Kisumu petroleum pipeline.
Investigations are under way by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
The governor urged the relevant agencies to establish the facts expeditiously, professionally and impartially, without prejudging the outcome, and to ensure accountability where wrongdoing is established.
He commended KPC’s initial response and called for continued coordination with national and county governments, environmental authorities, local leadership and affected communities.
He insisted that immediate containment, clean-up, environmental assessments and remediation must be undertaken without delay.
The extent of contamination and risks to water sources, ecosystems, public health and livelihoods must be established, with clear public guidance on precautionary measures.
All affected individuals, households, farmers, businesses and other parties must receive fair and appropriate compensation for verified losses in accordance with the law.
Where liability is established, responsible parties must fulfil their obligations promptly.
The assessment and compensation process must be transparent, accessible and sensitive to vulnerable households, without unnecessary delays that compromise justice and due process.
Beyond the immediate response, Governor Nyong’o said KPC and relevant agencies must review the incident and strengthen pipeline safeguards through enhanced surveillance, routine integrity inspections, detection of unauthorised interference, prompt reporting and coordinated emergency response.
Perpetrators must face the law, while identified weaknesses in infrastructure protection, operations and emergency response must be corrected promptly.
He urged residents to remain calm, exercise caution, cooperate with authorities and share credible information with investigators, stressing that protecting the people, natural resources and future generations of Kisumu demands decisive, lawful and transparent action.
On Thursday, fuel spilled into the river and some locals put their lives at risk by attempting to collect the fuel that leaked and was floating on the water.
This latest incident comes 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.
It was first reported that fuel spillage was 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.
However, on Friday there were also claims that Kenya Railway workers were the ones doing maintanence of the railway line when the excavator bit part of the pipe, exposing fuel to spillage.
There were immediate fears that the situation could balloon into a major catastrophe.
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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.
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.