Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has assured the Senate that the victims of the recent gas explosion in Embakasi, Nairobi, will receive compensation. 

The CS told Members of Energy Committee that the matter of compensation of the victims is under consideration but cautioned that the matter could be delayed because disaster management is not under is docket.

The National Disaster Committee is situated in the Office of the Deputy President and according to CS Chirchir it should have facilitated the compensation to the victims of the tragedy within a short time.

The CS promised to take up the matter with the Disaster committee and urge them to expedite the process since most survivors are still homeless.

“I will engage the National Disaster Committee to know where they have reached with the compensation to the victims,” said Chirchir when he gave the committee, chaired by Senator Wahome Wamatinga, the commitment.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna had wanted to know why the National Government had failed to compensate the victims who either lost their lives or got injured in the explosion.

“There are victims who lost their lives and have been buried, those who went to the hospital have been discharged but the government is yet to compensate the victims,” complained senator Sifuna.

Mr Daniel Kiptoo, the Director General of Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) accused the owner of the gas refilling station, Mr Dedan Kimathi, for diverting a tanker from offloading the gas into a licensed operator in the middle of the night and instead had it offloaded in to his facility straight from the manhole of the tanker.

According to EPRA, 32 out of 138 gas filling stations operating in various parts of the country had been closed down as they scored less than 50 percent technical audit score while others did not meet the requirement to operate such a facility.