Vivo Energy Uganda has called upon the public to buy liquefied petroleum gas only from authorised dealers, warning of an influx of illegally refilled gas, which is causing explosions in homes.
While meeting a delegation from the Nation Media Group that paid a courtesy call to them at their offices last week, Ms Joanita Mukasa Male, the managing director of Vivo Energy Uganda, asked the NMG-Uganda team, led by Ms Susan Nsibirwa, the managing director, to partner with them in sensitising the public about safe use of LPG gas.
‘The real work is in LPG; shifting the perceptions and advocating for regulations against illegal refills. These are the things we are dealing with. How to get the public to understand the dangers of exposure and how this affects their cookers,’ she said.
She explained that ever since government centralised the importation of fuel, it relieved them of the logistical complexities and it has stabilised their working environment, which has now giving them enough time to pay close attention to the consumer demands.
Ms Mukasa cited fuel tank accidents that end up in explosions and killing people and the fuel blended with ethanol as some of the areas that the public needs to be educated in.
She added that their corporate social responsibility initiatives such as use of their gas stations as blood donation centres, transitioning schools from firewood to LPG gas for cooking, clean drinking water provision for schools, and road safety awareness campaigns offer opportunities where the two companies can partner and impact the communities.
Mr Joel Nyakahuma a senior petroleum officer at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, asked the affected companies to report the cases of illegal gas refills.
‘There was an explosion in Kisaasi recently and police attributed it to gas explosion. There are regulations that are being drafted so as to guide the market better, I know we have two bulk importers but I didn’t know there are small players in the industry, some of whom could be refilling from home, which is very dangerous,’ he said.
Ms Nsibirwa said they are paying attention to customer needs, a reason NMG has come up with innovations centred on giving audiences the content they want.
She added that instead of hiring software engineers to work in the newsroom, NMG decided to equip its journalists with software skills that enable them to gather content, which is appealing to younger audiences .
Ms Nsibirwa said NMG-U would work with Vivo Energy Uganda to keep the public safe.
Mr Richard Senkwale, the head of commercial at NMG-U said LPG is an essential for conservation of the environment through limiting the use of charcoal and wood in cooking.
How the vice is done
Mr Val Oketcho, the Vivo Energy Uganda spokesperson, said rampant illegal refilling of gas in Kampala is a sector-wide problem affecting almost all companies dealing in LPG gas.
He explained that the illegal refillers get branded cylinders from the registered distributors, and they refill the gas in smaller quantities. Sometimes it leaks, and when a client lights it up, it explodes.