The government has issued a warning to traders in Garissa involved in illegal petrol trade that tough action will be taken against them when arrested.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo said a multi-agency security team has already been deployed in a crackdown targeting unscrupulous businessmen accused of selling the product illegally.

“I want to issue a stern warning to all those involved in this illegal business that, as a government, we will not entertain such. Anyone arrested will face the full force of the law. They can run, but they cannot hide,” the county commissioner said.

The operation involved security officers, officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

The team stormed two makeshift fueling points in Burburis, on the outskirts of Garissa town, believed to be selling the illicit fuel. However, no arrests were made. Police only recovered empty 20-litre jerricans at the sites.

Mwabudzo said the illegal trade has been ongoing for the past three to six months, prompting complaints from licensed petrol station operators who said the illicit sales were hurting their businesses.

He warned that the fuel being sold was unsafe, as it had not undergone the proper quality and safety checks required before being released to the market.

“We want to warn all those who are using or have used this petrol to fuel their vehicles that the fuel is not okay. It can, among other things, lead to engine knock or, in the worst-case scenario, endanger the lives of those in the vehicle,” Mwabudzo cautioned.

Isiolo petrol syndicate

When K24 Digital visited one of the sites earlier, several vehicles, motorcycles, and tuk-tuks were lined up to be fueled. Unlike licensed petrol stations, where a litre retails at about Ksh189, the illegal product was being sold for as low as Ksh100.

Mwabudzo condemned the operators for conducting the business within residential areas and in some cases near hospitals, saying this exposed the public to grave safety risks.

He further revealed that preliminary investigations show the fuel is being smuggled into the county through Hagadera in Fafi Sub-county, after which the traders arrange for its transportation and distribution within Garissa town.

He assured the public that security agencies will intensify surveillance and take firm action on the illegal trade, as petroleum sector chair Mohamud Sheikh Maulid urged a tougher crackdown, warning that illicit fuel is undermining compliant, genuine operators.

“We have followed every procedure that the government has put in place. We pay our taxes, meet safety standards, and operate transparently. But we are losing customers to illegal fuel dealers who sell their products cheaply because they evade all these requirements,” Maulid said.

However, a section of Motorists interviewed protested the government’s move to crack down on the traders, saying that their action was ill-advised.

“What these traders were doing was offering us affordable fuel. We have been using this fuel all along, and our vehicles are still running perfectly fine,” said Mohamed Sheikh, a motorist.

He urged the government to lower taxes on petrol, saying that high taxation was the main reason fuel prices continue to rise, adding that reducing the tax burden would make legitimate fuel more affordable and reduce the incentive to seek cheaper alternatives.