The Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) has foiled an attempt to steal petroleum products through an illegal connection installed on one of its pipelines in Mombasa County.
The incident was detected on Monday, November 2, during routine surveillance by the company’s security and pipeline maintenance teams. The officers traced the unauthorised connection along the pipeline linking Pumping Station 14 to Pumping Station 15.
KPC’s emergency and incident response teams moved quickly to secure the affected area before petroleum products could be siphoned. The company also reported the incident to Chaani Police Station, with specialised police teams now investigating the attempted theft.
Our gallant officers have successfully managed to foil a criminal act which is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities,” said KPC General Manager for Human Resource and Administration, Dinah Kirwa.
She confirmed that the illegal connection did not result in any loss of petroleum products because the monitoring teams detected and secured the site in time and praised the officers for responding swiftly and preventing the criminal activity.
The attempted theft highlights the security challenges facing critical petroleum infrastructure, which plays an important role in transporting fuel across the country. KPC operates a 1,342-kilometre pipeline network supported by technological and physical security systems designed to detect suspicious activities and prevent interference with its operations.
The company uses advanced security intelligence, leak detection equipment and real-time monitoring technologies to identify potential threats along its pipeline routes. These systems are intended to help officers respond quickly to illegal connections, leaks and other incidents that could disrupt fuel transportation.
KPC says it has also invested in internationally recognised safety procedures to reduce operational, environmental and reputational risks associated with pipeline operations. The company maintains that protecting its infrastructure is essential to ensuring the safe and reliable movement of petroleum products while preventing criminal activities that could threaten public safety and the country’s energy supply.
Police investigations are expected to establish who installed the illegal connection and whether other individuals were involved in the attempted theft.