The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has called for stronger regulatory oversight and enforcement across Kenya’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector, citing illegal cylinder refilling, duplicated levies and weak oversight of LPG motor gas.
The call was made on Thursday during a tour of Proto Energy’s cylinder manufacturing and refilling facility in Kabati by Proto Energy Chief Executive Officer Joel Kamau and KAM CEO Tobias Alando.
The concerns come as demand for LPG continues to grow in Kenya, driven partly by efforts to promote cleaner cooking.
Data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) shows that LPG consumption increased by 15 per cent from 360,594 metric tonnes in 2023 to 414,861 metric tonnes in 2024.
EPRA attributed the rising demand to government policy incentives, including the zero-rating of LPG, and the implementation of the National LPG Growth Strategy.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) also reported that LPG was the primary cooking fuel for 31.6 per cent of households in the 2023/24 Kenya Housing Survey.
However, the national picture masks a significant urban-rural gap, with LPG used by 65.6 per cent of urban households compared with 10.6 per cent of rural households.
As the market expands, manufacturers and industry players say safety and effective regulation will be critical.
Kamau identified illegal refilling of cylinders as one of the major challenges facing the industry, saying the practice bypasses safety checks while creating unfair competition for companies that comply with regulatory requirements.
He also raised concerns about duplicated levies, which he said increase costs for compliant businesses and are ultimately passed on to consumers.
“First, illegal refilling of cylinders bypasses safety checks, endangering consumers and undercutting compliant businesses. Second, duplicated levies raise costs for compliant players, and these are passed on to consumers. Third, weak oversight of the LPG motor gas segment leaves a growing market without the regulatory clarity needed to guarantee safety and quality,” Kamau said.
He called for stronger regulatory oversight and effective enforcement across the LPG value chain.
EPRA's latest available petroleum statistics show the scale of the infrastructure supporting the market. By June 2025, Kenya had 139 bulk LPG storage and filling facilities in the hinterland, with a combined capacity of 6,895 metric tonnes.
The regulator's medium-term Petroleum Development Plan projects national LPG demand to rise from 446.19 thousand tonnes in 2025 to 588.9 thousand tonnes by 2029.
It projects supply increasing from 482.86 thousand tonnes to 637.40 thousand tonnes over the same period.
Proto Energy is a cylinder manufacturer and LPG refiller operating one of East Africa's largest LPG facilities and supplying bulk LPG to large manufacturers across the region.
The company has also promoted LPG as a vehicle fuel, saying it has converted close to 15,000 vehicles to run on LPG alongside petrol.
According to Proto Energy, LPG-powered vehicles can offer improved fuel efficiency, lower fuel costs and reduced emissions compared with conventional fuels.
The expansion of LPG use in transport has, however, created an additional area of regulatory concern. EPRA lists a specific licence for the retail of LPG at autogas dispensing stations, alongside licences covering LPG storage, filling, transportation and retail in cylinders.
Alando reaffirmed KAM's commitment to supporting manufacturers in addressing challenges affecting their operations and competitiveness.
He said illegal refilling had implications beyond consumer safety, arguing that the practice could undermine legitimate businesses and wider economic activity.
Kenya's regulatory framework already requires LPG businesses to meet safety and licensing requirements. EPRA's regulations, for example, require licensed cylinder retailers to stock cylinders conforming to Kenya Standards and maintain appropriate fire-safety measures.
The industry's concerns therefore come at a time when LPG is becoming an increasingly important part of Kenya's energy mix.
EPRA's latest medium-term projections indicate that demand will continue rising, increasing the importance of effective regulation as more households, businesses and vehicles adopt LPG.
For manufacturers, stronger enforcement against illegal refilling, clearer regulation of LPG motor gas and measures to address duplicated levies are being presented as necessary to protect consumers while maintaining a level playing field for compliant businesses.