The bursary beneficiaries have been drawn from various institutions in Kenya ranging from secondary schools, universities and colleges. [Photo/@Kenyapipeline]
KPC has paid tuition fees for 227 needy students from the Thange oil spill area as part of the company’s corporate social investment program.
The tuition fees amounting to Sh1 million is the second batch of the KPC bursary scheme for needy students from Thange Valley in Kibwezi East Constituency which experienced an oil spill two years ago.
“Last year, KPC paid out Shs 1 million to 104 poor children from Thange and today we are supporting an additional 227 needy children to access education and achieve their dreams,” said KPC Foundation Manager Bernice Lemedeket during a ceremony to hand over the cheques to the students.
The bursary beneficiaries have been drawn from various institutions in Kenya ranging from secondary schools, universities and colleges.
“The beneficiaries were selected by representatives from the local community who constituted a vetting panel. So the process was transparent, open and fair. We wish the learners every bit of success in their studies,” said Bernice.
KPC has over the last two years spent over Ksh 24 million in support of the community through provision of clean water, food aid, and bursaries.
In addition, over 200 residents of Thange have received compensation from the Kenya Pipeline Company in relation to the 2015 oil leak on its aging 39 year old pipeline.
The compensation began in March 2017 after KPC’s insurer, CIC Insurance, finalized assessments on the first batch of claims made by 278 residents. So far, over 4,000 residents have applied for compensation and about 500 of these have been processed whereas the rest have been asked to provide further information.
Residents of Thange Valley had made claims in four major categories namely; livestock losses, crop losses, medical expenses and water expenses. CIC’s investigators and assessors finalized assessment on livestock losses and are still undertaking assessments on the other three categories as well as additional claims on livestock losses.
Addressing Thange residents recently during an update on the compensation process, KPC Managing Director Joe Sang said that the compensation process will be fast tracked and urged the residents to provide accurate information to enable the insurer process their claims quickly.
“For us to complete the compensation process soon, you should always provide the correct information accompanied by relevant documents so that our insurance company can process your claims quickly,” he said.
The ageing Nairobi-Mombasa pipeline passes through Thange. The 14-inch Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline was constructed in 1978 and has been in operation for 39 years, way beyond its 25 year useful life.
Being the only pipeline that feeds the country and its neighbours, it has to be kept in operational state through constant repairs and inspection.
But the 450km Mombasa – Nairobi pipeline is currently being replaced to meet the region’s future petroleum needs. The new line, a Vision 2030 Shs 48 billion project, will include fire-fighting systems in new stations, installing energy efficient equipment and pipeline monitoring technology to ensure easy spotting of damages on the line.
The project is well underway and will be ready for commissioning this year. The new pipeline will improve the safety, reliability and efficient delivery of product to KPC’s customers and reduce the losses and damages caused by spillage on the current 14” Mombasa -Nairobi pipeline.