Mtetezi Movement Gives Government 48 Hours to Suspend Opiyo Wandayi, Lee Kinyanjui in Controversial Fuel Importation Row.

Mtetezi Movement Gives Government 48 Hours to Suspend Opiyo Wandayi, Lee Kinyanjui in Controversial Fuel Importation Row.

From left: Mtetezi Grassroots Economic Justice Movement National Convenor Francis Awino, Misenya Sifuna and Joshua Nyanjom address the media in Nairobi on April 7, 2026, issuing a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the suspension of Energy and Trade Cabinet Secretaries over the alleged importation of substandard fuel

By Jeff Oyugi

Nairobi - April 7, 2026

A grassroots economic justice movement has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the government to suspend Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi and Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui over their alleged links to the controversial importation of what activists claim is substandard petroleum into the country.

Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, Misenya Stella, on behalf of the Mtetezi Grassroots Economic Justice Movement, said the call for suspension was necessary to safeguard the integrity of ongoing investigations into the disputed fuel consignment reportedly docked at the Port of Mombasa.

The group argued that emerging documentation linking senior ministry offices to correspondence surrounding a waiver request submitted to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) raises serious concerns about accountability at the highest levels of government.

“We are here today to demand the immediate suspension of the Energy Cabinet Secretary and the Trade Cabinet Secretary pending investigations into the importation of allegedly non-compliant fuel,” said Misenya. “Junior and technical officers have already faced arrest, interrogation or removal, yet the cabinet-level principals whose offices appear in the same approval chain remain in office.”

According to the activists, the waiver request to KEBS was reportedly drafted within the Petroleum Department under then Principal Secretary Mohammed Liban, with the Energy ministry copied for policy awareness, while supporting communication is said to have originated from the Ministry of Trade. The group said the sequence forms part of an inter-ministerial policy chain currently under scrutiny.

They argued that failure to take similar action against cabinet-level officials risks creating a perception of selective accountability and could undermine public confidence in ongoing investigations.

“The doctrine of public responsibility requires that where ministerial offices are implicated in decision-making that could lead to public harm, the holders of those offices should step aside to allow impartial investigations,” Misenya added.

Mtetezi group further demanded the immediate publication of all inter-ministerial correspondence relating to the cargo, disclosure of KEBS waiver request documents and approvals, and the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into the chain of authorization surrounding the fuel importation.

The group warned that failure by authorities to act within 48 hours would compel them to escalate the matter through a formal public interest petition and nationwide demonstrations.

Joshua Nyanjom also raised concerns about the safety implications of the fuel consignment, claiming it contained harmful substances such as sulphur, manganese and benzene, which they said could pose environmental and mechanical risks if released into the market.

“As consumers and citizens, we are concerned about whether this fuel will damage vehicles and whether the government will compensate Kenyans in case of mechanical losses,” said Joshua Nyanjom one of the movement’s conveners during the briefing. “We need clarification on whether this consignment will be distributed or destroyed and whether it has already been mixed with compliant fuel.”

Francis Awino, questioned why several heads of state corporations had reportedly stepped aside over integrity concerns while cabinet-level officials remained in office.

“The matter concerns public safety, fuel quality and multibillion-shilling public interest exposure,” Awino said. “There must be equal accountability across all levels of leadership.”

He also alleged that individuals who had planned to present a petition to Parliament regarding the issue were disrupted during attempts to address the media, accusing unnamed officials of facilitating intimidation against members of the press and civil society participants. They linked the incident to what they described as a growing culture of intolerance toward dissenting voices.

“We cannot continue with a situation where citizens raising accountability concerns are harassed,” Awino said, calling on President William Ruto to intervene and ensure transparency in the investigations.

The group further called for the resignation of the KEBS Managing Director and demanded that authorities disclose whether the 68,000-metric-ton fuel consignment had already been integrated into the national fuel supply chain.

They also called for investigations into a businessperson alleged to be associated with the shipment, urging authorities to make public the status of any ongoing inquiries.

However, government officials named in the allegations had not publicly responded to the claims by the time of publication. Authorities have previously maintained that Kenya’s fuel importation processes involve multiple regulatory agencies, including KEBS and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, to ensure compliance with quality standards.

Kenya has in the past faced public concern over the importation of substandard commodities, including fertilizer and edible oils, incidents that have heightened public scrutiny of regulatory oversight in recent years.

Analysts say the latest controversy underscores the importance of transparency in strategic imports such as petroleum, which plays a critical role in the country’s transport, manufacturing and energy sectors.

Mtetezi maintained that its demands were aimed at safeguarding public interest and ensuring accountability within government institutions.

“This country belongs to all Kenyans,” Awino said. “We are asking the authorities to act decisively to protect public safety and restore confidence in the systems that regulate critical imports.”

The movement said it would announce further action if the government failed to respond within the ultimatum period.