The Chinese company will work alongside Kenya's Runji and Partners Consulting Engineers on the 10-in diameter pipeline project Construction of the parallel line has been necessitated by the limited capacity of the Western Kenya Pipeline Extension (Line II) which cannot cater for the current demand for petroleum products locally, and for the export market. Mr Okungu said KPC is therefore carrying out pipeline capacity-enhancement programme to mitigate fuel shortages within the country and the region. KPC is also undertaking capacity-enhancement and system improvement projects on the Mombasa-Nairobi oil pipeline, which include the construction of four pump stations. The rise in demand has put a strain on the current capacity of the pipeline system, which is being operated at its maximum level. According to a study on the demand for petroleum products in Western Kenya and neighbouring countries, the projected annual demand by 2020 is estimated to be 3.4m cum, equivalent to a flow rate of 388cum/hr. The report was carried out by the Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis (Kippra) whose officials went to Rwanda, Burundi, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Southern Sudan, and compiled findings on petroleum product consumption in those areas.