Looming danger as residents live on petrol pipes

Tension is high Changamwe after the government ordered residents to vacate petroleum pipeline wayleave in the area following safety concerns.

Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) is accusing 473 families of encroaching on the wayleave exposing themselves to the danger of pipelines transporting fuel, including one with super petrol.

KPC officials said some residents were cooking and others doing welding on the pipeline pathway, which could spark an explosion in case of a leak from the buried pipes.

The encroached areas are in Changamwe, Kipevu, and Chaani wards, and most of the locals living in the affected houses are tenants.

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Yesterday, some residents were demolishing their houses following the expiry of the February 26 deadline to vacate the area, while others said they were preparing to take KPC to court.

Elizabeth Odendo, a resident of Sisi Kwa Sisi in Kipevu ward, said she had to hire some youths to pull down parts of her rental houses after they were marked for demolition by KPC, which also runs the Changamwe-based Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited (KPRL) pipes.

“I was forced to demolish part of my rental houses after KPC gave us notices on the grounds that we had encroached on its pipelines and it posed a danger to us,” she said.

Frederick Ndunda, another resident, said this was the second time they had being told to demolish their homes at Sisi Kwa Sisi by KPC.

“We have incurred expenses following the forced demolitions in this area. Some of us run small businesses that do not pose risks here but have been told to vacate. We are being told to leave the area without compensation,” he protested.

 Wycliffe Otieno, a tenant at Chaani ward, where house owners are yet to comply with the vacate notice, said he was unable to get money to rent a house elsewhere.

“I do not have money to move to another location. I do not know when the government will demolish the house I am living in,” he said.

Ezra Okong’o, a village chairman and landlord, said they were working with local politicians to stop the demolition of houses, claiming tKPC wanted to take away huge tracts of land from them.

“We have hired surveyors to mark the KPC land because KPC is demanding a big area and is likely to displace many of us,” Okong’o said.

KPC Wayleave Manager Stanley Manduku said the 473 families living on the pipeline pathway faced danger because a leak could spark off a huge fire.

He said KPC was pumping inflammable products at high pressure, and this could lead to a huge fire if the old pipes leak, particularly in areas where soil erosion occurs unnoticed.

“There is a looming danger because some of the pipes are old, and a leak can lead to a fire tragedy similar to the one in Sinai where some 300 people were burnt to death, Manduku said.