Residents of Nkaimurunya, Ong’ata Rongai in Kajiado North Sub County, have raised serious safety concerns over a gas refilling plant operating in their residential area.
In a crisis meeting, locals described the plant as a “ticking time bomb,” warning that its proximity to rental apartments and homes poses a grave danger to the community.
They expressed fears that the plant’s operations could lead to a potential disaster for the densely populated neighbourhood.
Residents allege that the gas plant operates recklessly, with gas refilling trucks unable to access the facility directly due to its limited space.
Instead, vehicles are refuelled at night using dangerously extended pipes.
These nighttime operations have raised further suspicion, with locals questioning the legality of the plant’s activities.
The plant, they say, remains tightly secured with its gates constantly shut, and they have noted that no locals have been employed there, adding to the lack of transparency around its operations.
According to the county spatial plan, the area is designated for residential use, not industrial activity, further intensifying residents’ concerns about the legitimacy of the plant’s presence.
The community is now urging the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) and other relevant agencies to investigate the plant’s operations, calling for its immediate relocation to a safer, more appropriate area.
“We are living in fear. This is an accident waiting to happen,” one resident said, voicing the collective anxiety of the neighbourhood.
