Uasin Gishu Launches Fuel Siphoning Awareness Campaign After Tanker Fire
The campaign follows last week’s tanker fire at Paul Boit along the Eldoret-Webuye road that killed three people and left 23 others injured.
Fredrick Serem, the Uasin Gishu County Director of Fire, Rescue and Disaster Management, speaking to the county fire brigade team at Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Eldoret. Photo: The Star Kenya.
By Robert Mutasi
The Uasin Gishu County Government has launched a public sensitisation campaign to warn residents against siphoning fuel from tankers involved in road accidents.
The campaign follows last week’s tanker fire at Paul Boit along the Eldoret-Webuye road that killed three people and left 23 others injured.
Eight of those injured remain admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, according to county officials.
The county’s fire and disaster management department said the campaign is aimed at discouraging residents from approaching accident scenes involving fuel tankers, warning that attempts to collect spilled fuel can result in further deaths and injuries.
County Director of Fire and Disaster Management Fredrick Serem said crowd control remains one of the biggest challenges faced by firefighters responding to tanker accidents.
He said some members of the public interfere with firefighting operations in an attempt to siphon fuel.
“Some members of the public normally try to stop our team from doing their work, especially when we apply foam to weaken the petrol so that they can siphon it when it is still in its original state. This is very dangerous,” Serem said.
Fire Section Officer David Sitati said firefighters have encountered large crowds arriving at accident scenes on boda bodas carrying jerrycans to collect fuel.
He said the crowds obstruct emergency teams and make it difficult for firefighters to secure the scene and contain the fire.
Sitati warned that transporting siphoned fuel to other locations also exposes more people to the risk of fire.
He called for closer cooperation among government agencies, emergency responders, transport operators and local communities, alongside regular public awareness campaigns.
“Despite the prevailing economic hardships, the solution cannot be to engage in life-threatening acts. We are urging members of the public to keep away from dangerous scenes and to understand that petrol is highly flammable and dangerous,” Sitati said.
Residents have also been advised to keep away from accidents involving vehicles carrying gas cylinders and other hazardous materials.
The county government is planning to equip fire stations in Burnt Forest, Moi’s Bridge and Maili Nne as part of efforts to decentralise emergency response services.
The sensitisation campaign comes days after Governor Jonathan Bii called for restrictions on oil tankers passing through Eldoret’s central business district following the Paul Boit accident.
Bii visited some of the injured victims at MTRH over the weekend and said several had suffered serious burns.
“We are saying sorry to the families affected as we also caution that no one should run to areas where such accidents occur because there is always the danger of fire,” the governor said.
County officials said the awareness campaign will continue as part of broader measures to improve public safety around hazardous road accidents and strengthen emergency response in Uasin Gishu.
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