Women, youth-led firms get priority for gas branding

Petroleum and Mining principal secretary Andrew Kamau. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By JAMES KARIUKI

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Summary

• Full preferential treatment will be given to businesses that participate in the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) empowerment programme.
• Companies have until April 11 to file tender documents indicating prices, inclusive of taxes and delivery costs and that the quotation price should remain valid for the next 120 days.
• The LPG project is planned for rollout mid this year via by state-owned National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK).

Businesses led by women, youth and disabled persons have been asked to participate in branding the 720,000 cooking gas cylinders procured by the State as it cranks up use of clean energy.

Petroleum and Mining principal secretary Andrew Kamau said full preferential treatment will be given to businesses that participate in the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) empowerment programme.

The media notice said companies have until April 11 to file tender documents indicating prices, inclusive of taxes and delivery costs and that the quotation price should remain valid for the next 120 days.
The planned branding of Mwananchi gas cylinders is the culmination of an ongoing government campaign to promote LPG use with Sh2.2 billion injected towards the acquisition of 720,000 cylinders and establishment of several refill plant machinery at strategic locations in the country.

READ: State set to give poor homes gas cylinders in May

The LPG project is planned for rollout mid this year via by state-owned National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK).

Mr Kamau said the government aims to increase access of LPG gas among low and middle income earners who solely rely on kerosene for cooking.

“This is the second tranche to be procured for the National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK) where we first bought 400,000 cooking gas cylinders. We plan to phase out kerosene but want to avail an alternative for Kenyans to use once the programme is implemented,” he said.