Tassia fuel spill: Residents rush to collect petrol after pipeline rupture

The Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) has halted operations on a segment of its Mombasa-Nairobi petroleum pipeline following a drilling incident near Tassia, near Outer Ring Road in Embakasi, Nairobi. The rupture occurred on Monday, November 9, around 9am, when a contractor, working for Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), inadvertently drilled into Line 5, a pipeline that transports petroleum products from Mombasa to Nairobi.

KPC's emergency response teams promptly arrived at the scene to mitigate the fuel leak and avert further damage. Acting Managing Director Pius Mwendwa announced that the affected section was promptly isolated, and technical personnel, fire-safety experts, and incident management specialists were deployed. The company worked closely with security and emergency response agencies to secure the area and marshal additional resources for containment and cleanup.

Investigations into the incident have been initiated, with KRC drill rig operators providing assistance to law enforcement. KPC has not disclosed the volume of petroleum released or the extent of environmental harm, nor the duration of repair work or potential impact on fuel deliveries to Nairobi. Line 5, a 450-kilometer pipeline commissioned in 2018, connects Mombasa to Nairobi and has a 20-inch diameter, designed to replace an older pipeline.

KPC operates a substantial pipeline network spanning approximately 1,342 kilometers, delivering petroleum products from Mombasa to Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret, and Kisumu, as well as supporting regional depots.