DCI raid uncovers illegal fuel siphoning site on Kangundo Road

Following an operation targeting illegal fuel siphoning sites along Kangundo Road on Thursday, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives seized large quantities of siphoned fuel alongside various equipment used in the illicit trade.

During the crackdown led by the DCI's Operations Support Unit, a trailer, two fuel tankers, generators equipped with hosepipes, funnels, 20-litre jerrycans, and multiple tanks containing unspecified volumes of siphoned fuel were seized.

"Acting on a tip-off by a concerned member of the public on a notable spillage and the impunity with which the illegal business operated just next to a supermarket and an open-air market along KCC Road, the officers moved in to the compound that was concealed by a temporary iron sheet fence," the DCI said in a statement on X on Friday.

"But the well-organized criminal syndicate involved in the illegal operations got wind of police presence through their informers and, locking the main entrance from within, secured enough time to hole up through a panya route thus evading arrest."

Detectives suspect that the individuals who evaded arrest are connected to the 41 people apprehended for engaging in illegal fuel trading at a siphoning site on Lunga Road in Makadara, in April.

"After preliminary investigations, detectives believe that the business operators are linked to the April 12, 2024 raid conducted behind Shell petrol station off Lunga Road in Nairobi where 41 suspects were rounded up and charged, but the five tankers found at the site later released through a court order," said the DCI.

The DCI further thanked members of the public for providing actionable information on the illegal siphoning site.

"The DCI thanks members of the public who continue to volunteer actionable information on this illegal business, as they contribute pragmatically to prevention of loss of lives through unfortunate cases of infernos such as the dreadful February 2 Embakasi gas explosion," said the police agency.