The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) wants all petroleum and cooking gas consignments to be cleared online, in a shift that will change how fuel importers, exporters and tanker operators deal with the regulator at the country's border points.

In a public notice issued this week, EPRA said it is bringing its services onto the National Electronic Single Window System (NESWS), also known as the Trade Facilitation Platform, which it has developed with the Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade).

What will change

Under the proposal, importers, exporters, transporters and other players handling petroleum, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and coal will be required to process their clearance documents through the platform at border points across the country.

  • Licensed transporters will submit their journey plans online through the system, replacing the current methods of submission.
  • EPRA officers will use the integrated platform to verify licences held by importers, exporters, transporters and drivers under the Petroleum Act.
  • The rollout will be phased, starting with petroleum and LPG consignments, with coal to follow at a date yet to be announced.

The regulator says the change is meant to improve efficiency, transparency and compliance in a sector that has long battled cases of fuel dumping, diversion of transit products into the local market and unlicensed operators.

"Stakeholders are advised to ensure that all applicable licences and related compliance documentation are valid," the authority said in the notice.

No start date yet

EPRA has not set a date for the system to become mandatory. It says the date will be announced once public participation forums and other preparations are complete.

The forums, held under the Statutory Instruments Act, are scheduled for November:

  • November 2: Meru National Polytechnic, for North Eastern and Central counties.
  • November 4: Nairobi CBD, for Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado, Kitui and Makueni.
  • November 6: Mombasa, for the Coast counties.
  • November 9: Kisumu, for Lake and Western counties.
  • November 11: Eldoret National Polytechnic, for the North Rift.
  • November 13: Nakuru, for the South Rift.

Members of the public and industry players can also send written comments and memoranda to EPRA's headquarters or regional offices.

A busy period for the regulator

The proposal comes as fuel costs weigh heavily on households. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data released on Friday showed inflation rising to 7.3 per cent in October, with transport costs up about 17 per cent, driven largely by fuel.

Earlier this week EPRA unveiled a compensation plan for oil marketers aimed at averting supply shortages, and denied claims that an outside player was influencing pump prices. The next monthly pump price review is due in mid-November.

A digital system could cut the time tankers spend at border points, but smaller operators have in the past raised concerns about the cost of complying with new online systems, an issue likely to come up at the forums.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.