Regulator reverses its ban on night travel by petrol tankers

The government has rescinded the ban on night transport of petroleum products between 6.30pm to 6.30 am.

The Energy Regulatory Commission, which had issued the ban now says the move has been relaxed to allow transporters to find “safe” parking should they be on the road after 6.30 pm when the ban is supposed to begin.

ERC acting director petroleum Edward Kinyua said the move which was meant to enhance safety may turn counter-productive if truck drivers are allowed to park where dusk finds them, posing even more danger to the public.

“By 6.30pm, some tankers found themselves in populated areas without safe parking. If these tankers were to be parked in such areas, this would have posed even greater danger to the same public which the law was trying to protect. For this reason, it was resolved that tankers on the road by 6.30pm should be driven to the next safe parking point which is currently the practice,”Mr Kinyua said.

The Energy (Licensing of Petroleum Road Transportation Business) Regulations, 2013, however, stipulates that tankers are to be driven between 6.30am and 6.30pm.

An attempt to implement the law in January sparked a standoff between petroleum distributors and the ministry of energy.

A meeting between Energy cabinet Secretary Charles Keter, the Kenya Independent Petroleum Distributors Association resolved the issue.