Police in Garissa seize over 1,200 liters of contraband petrol

Security officials at the makeshift structure where the illegal petrol was being stored /STEPHEN ASTARIKO

Security officers in Garissa have seized about 1,280 litres of suspected contraband petrol, marking a major breakthrough in the fight against the illegal sale of fuel in the town.

Unlike licensed petrol stations, where a litre retails at about Sh189, the contraband petrol was being sold for as low as Sh100.

Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo said the seized fuel was valued at about Sh200,000.

One suspect arrested in connection with the case will be arraigned in court once the investigations are complete.

Mwabudzo said the fuel, believed to have been smuggled from neighbouring Somalia, was being transported in a Toyota Probox with registration number KDR 145E.

The vehicle was intercepted following a tip-off from members of the public.

The seizure comes barely a week after the county security team shut down two outlets in Garissa town operating similar illegal fuel trade.

“We intercepted about 60 jerricans, each holding 20 litres of contraband petrol, which was being ferried in a Toyota Probox. The fuel, worth over Sh200,000, was intended for sale to local residents,” Mwabudzo said.

He warned that the county security team would not relent in its efforts to eliminate the trade in contraband goods, particularly products smuggled across the Somalia border.

“We will not rest until this illegal business is brought to an end. All unlawful activities in Garissa, especially those involving goods smuggled from across the border, must stop,” Mwabudzo said.

The county commissioner said the crackdown will continue until the vice is completely eradicated and those arrested will face the full force of the law.

“Those who think they can successfully bring contraband goods into this county for sale should know that they will be arrested and their goods seized,” he said.

Last week, the commissioner sounded an alarm over a worrying surge in contraband goods entering Garissa, vowing that those behind the illegal trade would be met with strict enforcement.

He said the porous Kenya–Somalia border continues to be exploited by unscrupulous traders to sneak in outlawed products, notably sugar and petrol, which eventually end up in local markets.

While often sold at lower prices, he cautioned that such goods pose serious economic, health and safety risks to residents. 

Mwabudzo said the Kenya Bureau of Standards, raising concerns about their suitability for consumption, has not inspected most of the contraband goods, including sugar and rice.