Energy PS Andrew Kamau states government to do away with cooking gas cylinders

Gov't set to do away with cooking gas cylinders

Mark Mwithaga

April 12, 2019 10:59 AM

You will not need this anymore

LPG Gas cylinders

The government has announced plans to do away with cooking gas cylinders in residential areas in line with its housing project.

As part of the low house cost project, the government wants to introduce piped cooking gas in homes.

Energy PS Andrew Kamau during a past function Pulse Live Kenya

Energy PS Andrew Kamau stated that the new approach would ease the trouble of having to move around with the cylinders.

"We want to do away with cylinders and allow piped gases into houses through prepaid meter systems.

“We are about to change the legal notice to allow for piped gas to all those low-cost housing. So, you do not have to move around with those cylinders. It will come to your kitchen through a prepaid meter if you want or through a metered system that can be billed to the provider,” remarked Kamau.

The proposed plan had been suggested in 2011 but progress was made in 2018 when the Ministry of Energy had published draft regulations for the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) which included the process of licensing and policing firms that will operate the new system in both commercial and residential buildings.

Piped cooking gas project stalls

The piped cooking gas idea had however been dealt a blow in May 2018 after Petroleum CS John Munyes noted that Kenya did not have natural gas and petroleum to sustain the project.

The CS explained that the country heavily relied on imported gas mainly from Tanzania and Mozambique.

Petroleum and Mining Cabinet Secretary John Munyes Pulse Live Kenya

“It is a good plan but do we have gas reserves in the country? Where are we going to tap the gas from? I think the government must complete its exploration for gas reserves first and if the country has enough gas reserves then this project can be viable,” stated Munyes.

He further raised concerns in regards to the safety risk the piped gas system posed and highlighted that there was no assurance that rogue dealers would mess with the underground gas pipes.

Mark Mwithaga