Police in Mombasa have opened an investigation after the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) said its security teams discovered and sealed an illegal connection on one of its fuel lines before any product could be stolen.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the State-owned pipeline operator said the unauthorised tap was found on Monday, November 2, on the line linking Pumping Station 14 to Pumping Station 15 in Mombasa County. Security officers and pipeline maintenance crews came across it during routine surveillance of the network.

How the attempt was discovered

KPC said its emergency and incident response teams secured the site as soon as the connection was tracked, then reported the matter to Chaani Police Station. Photographs released by the company show a crude opening dug into the ground beside a building, with concrete slabs and bricks used to conceal the point where the line had been tapped.

"Our gallant officers have successfully managed to foil a criminal act which is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities," said Dinah Kirwa, the company's General Manager for Human Resource and Administration.

Ms Kirwa said the connection caused no product loss because monitoring teams tracked it quickly and locked down the scene. KPC did not say how long the tap had been in place or how much fuel the suspects may have been hoping to draw.

According to Kenyans.co.ke, specialist police units have taken over the case and will determine, among other things, whether any KPC employees stationed at the two pumping stations had a hand in the attempt. No arrests had been announced by Tuesday evening.

A network under constant watch

KPC says its pipeline network covers 1,342 kilometres across the country and is protected by surveillance, leak-detection and safety systems that allow real-time monitoring of the line. The company said it has invested in international safety standards to limit operational, environmental and reputational risks around its infrastructure.

Illegal connections on the pipeline are not new, but they carry serious safety risks. Fuel escaping from a tapped line can contaminate soil and groundwater, and petrol vapour collecting in an enclosed pit can ignite. Previous incidents along the Mombasa-Nairobi line have led to prosecutions of both outsiders and insiders accused of colluding with fuel thieves.

Why the timing matters

The attempted theft comes at a moment of heightened sensitivity around fuel supply. On October 14 the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) raised the maximum pump price of super petrol by Sh12.93 per litre, diesel by Sh9.90 and kerosene by Sh28.49, pushing petrol in Nairobi to Sh226.96 a litre until November 14. The regulator blamed supply disruptions linked to conflict in the Middle East.

High pump prices and recent reports of independent dealers boycotting wholesale supplies have fed public anxiety about shortages, and black-market fuel becomes more lucrative as prices climb.

KPC urged members of the public to report any suspicious activity near its pipelines, pumping stations and depots, saying that protecting the line is a matter of public safety as well as revenue.

  • Illegal connection found Monday, November 2, between Pumping Stations 14 and 15, Mombasa County
  • Site secured and reported to Chaani Police Station; investigation under way
  • KPC says no fuel was lost
  • Police to establish whether any staff at the stations were involved

Photos: Kenya Pipeline Company via Kenyans.co.ke. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.