Oil shortage tops list of agenda as MPs summon Chirchir

Mr Davis Chirchir, the Energy Cabinet secretary. FILE  Nation Media Group

By EDWIN MUTAI

A House committee has summoned top Ministry of Energy officials to answer questions on oil reserves and potential impact on the economy after reports of a looming shortage.

Last week it emerged there are reserves could only last one week. Kenya requires reserves that would cover a period of six months.

The Energy, Communications and Information committee will also question Energy and Petroleum Cabinet secretary Davis Chirchir and PS Joseph Njoroge on the sale of private shares in the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Ltd (KPRL) to Essar Energy, at a cost of $3 million.

Mr Jackson Kiptanui, the committee vice chairperson, said the energy officials will also be questioned about coal mining in Kitui. The investigations into the KPRL-Essar deal were expected to be concluded within 10 days, the Speaker Justin Muturi ordered.

“We know that we have a timeline set by the Speaker but the events in our country have taken a toll on everything,” he said.

The committee was set to receive advice from Parliament’s legal office on the Essar-KPRL deal whose details had not been received from relevant government agencies.

“The information we are seeking from the legal team is in regard to the shareholding and the directors as stipulated in the sale agreement,” said the Keiyo South MP.

Testimony from Majority Leader Aden Duale, who sensationally claimed he had information pointing to senior government officials involvement in the deal where Sh15 billion may have been lost, was deferred to Wednesday.

The committee had scheduled Mr Duale to present his evidence at 3pm on Monday.

“We have had to move Mr Duale’s testimony to tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday,” he said.

Last Thursday, Mr Duale claimed he had damning information which he wants to present to the committee showing how senior individuals in the grand coalition government conspired to rip off the State corporation.

The committee has been looking at the matter in the past one month but investigations have not started. Mr Duale last week asked the Speaker to direct that the matter be investigated and that he get the first opportunity to testify.

Mr Muturi warned should the MPs team fail to table a report within the stipulated timeframe, the mandate to investigate the deal would be taken over by another committee.

A member of the committee, Mr Junnet Mohammed, said “we need to conclude this investigation as a matter of urgency and embark on other serious issues such as the impending fuel shortage.”