A massive explosion rocked the Embakasi neighbourhood late Thursday night, leaving scores injured and two dead. The blast occurred around 11:45pm at an illegal gas refilling station adjacent to Nyayo Estate Court 5, sending fireballs high into the night sky.
According to the government spokesman Isaac Mwaura 222 Kenyans were injured by the fire incident last night and have been rushed to various hospitals.
Following this incident, it has come to light that In March 2020, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) identified the Mradi gas site in Embakasi as unauthorized, following a blaze.
EPRA, in collaboration with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), conducted a joint operation, resulting in the arrest of three individuals who were caught transferring gas from a truck to cylinders at the site.
However, EPRA did not issue any further details of the arrests of the operators of the plant after that report.
Some Kenyans expressed their disapproval on social media, accusing the government of negligence and corruption for allowing a gas handling factory to operate near a residential area and persist in its illegal operations despite being flagged.
