A SECTION of Kenya’s 895-km oil pipeline may be condemned due to its inability to meet the sharp rise in demand for fuel, the country’s Energy Ministry said in April. According to the ministry, the 12-year-old section between Nairobi and Western Kenya will be rendered useless in the near future, because of its low pump capacity that has made it hard to meet demand.
To avert the impending crisis, the Ministry of Energy is pushing for the construction of a new 44-km pipeline which would cost between $80m and $90m. "The [current] 6-in pipeline only meets 60% of the demand for areas west of Nairobi, and the neighbouring countries and it will be a problem to supply all our customers in the near future," said Energy Ministry representative Patrick Nyoike at a workshop on energy policy held in Nairobi. Apart from western Kenya, the pipeline also supplies Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and parts of Northern Tanzania. "We will have no alternative but to replace the section with bigger pipes, if we are to meet the local and demand abroad," Mr Nyoike added.
The ministry will forward the proposal to the cabinet for approval as a matter of urgency. The 44-km section in question was constructed in 1998 and has a smaller diameter than the 14-in line from Mombasa to Nairobi, constructed in 1978.
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