47 charged in Nakuru with sale of adulterated fuel on highway
Some of the 47 suspects charged with selling adulterated fuel along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway in court in Nakuru on August 22, 2018. They denied the charges and were released on a Sh50,000 bond each. PHOTO | AYUB MUIYURO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- According to the prosecution, the 47 are part of an organised group of black market dealers.
- They run depots where petrol and diesel, largely acquired through dubious means, is mixed with kerosene.
- They lawyer claimed that his clients had been tortured by the GSU officers after they were arrested on Monday.
Forty seven people were on Wednesday charged in a Nakuru court in connection to the sale of adulterated fuel at various places along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.
The suspects, who appeared before Chief Magistrate Josephat Kalo, faced two counts of selling petroleum fuel without licenses from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) as well as adulterating it.
According to the prosecution, the suspects were found selling 880 litres of diesel without licenses from the ERC.
The fuel was adulterated with kerosene.
According to the prosecution, the 47 are part of an organised group of black market dealers running depots where petrol and diesel, largely acquired through dubious means, is mixed with kerosene in order to reap huge profits while endangering the lives of millions of people and damaging thousands of vehicles and machines.
ARRESTED BY GSU
The 47 were arrested on Monday by General Service Unit (GSU) officers who conducted a crackdown on various sites along the Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret highway at Pipeline and near Salgaa trading centre.
They denied the charges.
Mr John Ochang, the lawyer representing the suspects, claimed that his clients had been tortured by the GSU officers after they were arrested on Monday.
According to Mr Ochang, the officers beat up the suspects who were unarmed, contrary to the law.
He further urged the court to consider the conditions of the 47, whom he said were innocent and were allegedly arrested while on their way to their homes.
The court released them on a Sh50,000 bond each with sureties.
The case will be mentioned on August 24.
