Rubis Power Kenya has retaliated against the government for deporting its CEO, Jean-Christian Bergeron, and accusing it of fuel hoarding amid transportation disruptions caused by shortages.
The oil marketer chastised the government for claiming to have deported Mr Bergeron to France, claiming that the CEO had traveled to Paris to inform the head office on Kenya’s fuel problem.
Rubis also refuted State assertions that it was stockpiling gasoline and offered proof showing it increased supplies in the three months leading up to April.
Mr Bergeron departed Kenya on Wednesday evening, according to Energy Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma, following the State crackdown on merchants related to the shortfall, although she did not mention the deportation.
“We wish to clarify that the group managing director Rubis Energy Kenya and CEO East Africa Jean-Christian Bergeron upon consultation with Rubis Energy head office travelled to Paris to provide a full brief on the situation in Kenya. The gap in the supply of fuel has been triggered by various factors but one of the least publicised is the spike in local demand over the last three months evidenced by our daily retail sales,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.
Rubis provided a thorough record revealing that sales climbed by 6.9 percent in February, 9.4 percent in March, and 13.3 percent in April, indicating that the fuel shortages were driven by a jump in demand rather than product hoarding.
Kenya’s fuel issue, which has resulted in lengthy lines at service stations, has put government authorities under pressure to rein in growing domestic costs.
Rubis Energy Kenya is owned by Rubis Energies, a subsidiary of the Rubis Group, which is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, following the full acquisition of both KenolKobil and Gulf Energy Holdings in 2019.
Mr Bergeron has led the Kenyan subsidiary of France’s Rubis Energie for three years.
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