Kenya to do away with gas cylinders, Piped gas to take over

Ministry of Energy Principle Secretary Andrew Kamau has announced the government’s plan to introduce piped cooking gas in residential areas.

In August 2017 the Energy Regulatory Commission announced that it was working on a plan that would require housing developers of gated communities to include piped gas systems in their constructions — similar to other essential services such as electricity and water systems.

PS Kamau: We want to do away with cylinders and allow piped gases into houses through prepaid meter systems#KTNBusiness@KTNNewsKE@AginaAby pic.twitter.com/ExYXkkMr4O— ktn (@KTNKenya) April 10, 2019

The energy regulator also said that the real estate developers would be obligated to have infrastructure to distribute the gas within the housing projects, including a central bulk storage facility and pipes to individual houses which would be fitted with metres to measure the monthly consumption of gas.

The system would be operated by a liquefied petroleum gas marketer, which in addition to refilling gas would also be charged with safety of the system.

In an interview with Ktn news, PS Kamau said that the gas would come directly to the kitchen through a pipe system, replacing the gas cylinders.

“We are about to change the legal notice to allow for piped gas to all those low-cost housing. So you do not have to move around with those cylinders. It will come to your kitchen through a prepaid meter if you want or through a metered system that can be billed to the provider,” said Mr Kamau.

He further affirmed the government’s capacity to do so citing other upmarket estates areas that have installed such piped gas.The project would be realized through the government’s affordable housing project.

In 2018, the government halted similar plans over safety concerns, lack of appropriate infrastructure and lack of gas reserves