Khalwale demands CS Wandayi’s resignation and arrest over fuel scandal
By Kenneth Mwenda, April 4, 2026Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has called on Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi to either resign or be arrested over the ongoing fuel scandal in the country.
The call comes after three senior energy officials – the Petroleum Principal Secretary, the Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director, and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority Director General – resigned following investigations into claimed manipulation of fuel stock data and irregular procurement.
In a post on X on Saturday, April 4, 2026, Khalwale said CS Wandayi, who leads the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and reports directly to the president, had a duty to prevent the fuel scandal.
“CS Opiyo Wandayi’s core responsibility is to develop, implement, review and enforce policies in the Ministry of Energy & Petroleum. He is the leader, reporting directly to the president. He knew or ought to have known the diversion of condemned fuel worth Ksh4 billion, by those three thieves, into the Kenyan market,” Khalwale said.
He added that if Wandayi was aware of the saga, he must be arrested immediately for criminal culpability.
“If he knew, he must be arrested immediately for criminal culpability. If he didn’t know, he must immediately take political responsibility and resign or be sacked for cross incompetence,” Khalwale said.
Wandayi’s impeachment if not sacked
The lawmaker further warned that failure by the president to act would compel the National Assembly to intervene.
“If the president fails to sack him because of shenanigans of the broad-based government, the National Assembly must then exercise its constitutional mandate and impeach him,” Khalwale added.
Fuel scandal investigation widens
The warning comes amid a widening probe into Kenya’s energy sector. Investigators are examining claims that emergency fuel imports were overpriced and of substandard quality. Preliminary findings suggest officials may have manipulated local fuel stock data to create the impression of a shortage, justifying emergency procurement outside the Government-to-Government (G-to-G) framework.
The government signed G-to-G fuel supply agreements in 2023 with Aramco Trading Fujairah, ADNOC Global Trading Ltd, and Emirates National Oil Company Singapore Pte Limited. The arrangements aimed to stabilise supply, shield the market from global price swings, and ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves.
Supplies remained steady even during recent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and contracted suppliers met all obligations without reporting problems.
However, the diversion of a fuel consignment, initially destined for Angola but rerouted to Mombasa, has raised serious questions. Investigators flagged the shipment for poor quality and overpricing.