In a statement issued on Tuesday, November 3, KPC revealed that the illegal connection was discovered on Monday, November 2, during routine surveillance operations conducted by its security and pipeline maintenance teams.
The suspicious connection was traced to a pipeline linking Pumping Station 14 to Pumping Station 15 in Mombasa County. The discovery prompted an immediate response from the company's emergency and incident response teams.
According to KPC, its officers successfully secured the affected site before petroleum products could be siphoned. The company subsequently reported the incident to Chaani Police Station, where investigations into the attempted theft are underway.
KPC General Manager Dinah Kirwa confirmed that the company's security and pipeline monitoring teams detected the illegal connection in time, preventing the loss of any petroleum products.
Kirwa praised the officers for their swift response, describing the incident as a criminal act that had been successfully stopped. She added that relevant authorities had taken over investigations into the matter.
Police are now investigating how the illegal connection was established and whether anyone involved in operations at the affected pumping stations may have participated in the attempted theft. Their findings are expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The incident comes amid growing concerns over fuel affordability and supply following a recent increase in petroleum prices. On October 14, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority announced significant price adjustments affecting petrol, diesel and kerosene.
The new prices placed petrol at Ksh226.96 per litre, diesel at Ksh227.76 and kerosene at Ksh219.87, effective until November 14. The government attributed the increases to disruptions in global petroleum supplies linked to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
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