By Joe Sang
Environmental conservation has become one of the most urgent priorities of our time, as the world continues to grapple with the devastating effects of climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Globally, human impact on mangrove forests alone has shrunk mangrove cover by over 43% between 2000 and 2020, through conversion to aquaculture, oil palm plantations, and rice cultivation, with scientists warning that the loss of these ecosystems could contribute up to 10% of global carbon emissions if not urgently addressed. Global statistics show that mangroves store an average of 394 tonnes of carbon per hectare; 319 tonnes held in the soil, 54 tonnes above-ground biomass, and 21 tonnes in below-ground biomass.
In Africa, mangrove loss rates are estimated at 1.25% annually, undermining both coastal protection and blue carbon storage potential. In Kenya, forest cover remains below global standards, with only 8.83% of land under forest by 2021, against the target of 10%, while the country continues to lose huge chunks of hectares of forest each year to deforestation.
Left unchecked, these challenges threaten not only the country’s natural heritage but also the livelihoods, health, and security of communities that depend on the environment for survival. It is against this backdrop that we, as Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), have distinctively embedded ‘Care for the environment’ as one of the most fundamental environmental philosophies in our core values.
Kenya Pipeline Company has since inception, endeavoured to care, and protect the environment. By providing a safe, reliable, convenient, and cost-effective wholesale-like infrastructure conduit for transporting refined petroleum products from the coastal City of Mombasa into the hinterland, the company has significantly reduced the negative environmental and social impacts traditionally associated with road transport. This pipeline system protects the environment from oil spills and leaks that often occur when trucks are used, while also reducing carbon emissions by minimizing reliance on fuel tankers.
It further enhances public safety by reducing the risks posed by oil trucks and preserves road infrastructure by preventing the rapid deterioration caused by heavy fuel vehicles. In addition, the government benefits from substantial cost savings, as funds that would otherwise be spent on road repairs are redirected to other critical development projects.
Through this infrastructure, KPC safeguards the environment by reducing the risk of oil spills and leaks common with road transport. Shifting from fuel tankers to pipelines has also cut carbon emissions, supporting the fight against climate change. The system enhances public safety by protecting communities from hazards posed by recklessly driven or poorly parked oil trucks and spares the road network from damage caused by heavy fuel vehicles. This preservation of infrastructure saves the government significant maintenance costs, freeing resources for other critical development projects.
To illustrate this impact:
- Mombasa–Nairobi Pipeline (20-inch line)
• Flowrate: 1,200 m³/hour
• Daily Throughput: 28,800 m³
• Truck Equivalent: Each road tanker carries ~38 m³.
• Impact: Without this pipeline, we would need 758 trucks every day—32 trucks every hour—on the Mombasa–Nairobi highway. - Nairobi–Western Kenya Pipeline (14- & 8-inch lines)
• Combined Flowrate: 670 m³/hour (450 + 220)
• Daily Throughput: 16,080 m³
• Truck Equivalent: Requires 423 trucks per day if transported by road. - Kisumu Oil Jetty (KOJ)
• Vessel Capacity: 4,500 m³ per trip = 118 truckloads
• Frequency: 3 trips per week
• Impact: Eliminates ~454 truck movements weekly on the Kisumu–Uganda corridor. - Key Advantages of Pipeline Transport
• Efficiency & Capacity: Moves huge volumes continuously, 24/7.
• Safety: Fewer road tankers mean reduced accident risk and spillage.
• Environmental Benefits: Lower carbon emissions and road damage.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Lower transport and maintenance costs over time.
• Reliability: Weather-proof, congestion-free, and secure.
Admittedly however, is the realism that environmental protection and conservation are monumental undertakings that sometimes require collaborative approaches to succeed. In this regard, Kenya Pipeline Company last year partnered with the Kenya Forestry Service to bolster the zeal to care for nature. With the signing of a compelling Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the two government agencies have strengthened their resolve to fervently protect and conserve the environment for posterity and prosperity, and since then, several collaborative activities have been executed across the country.
The most significant milestone of this partnership has been the planting and sustenance of over 800,000 mangrove trees across 100 hectares of the Jomvu Creek in Mombasa County. With a seedling survival rate of 99%, it is envisaged that the rehabilitated creek will provide the desired environmental restoration and conservation, besides providing the surrounding community with a sustainable means of eking out a living. This is because, perfectly integrated with the project, is a community-driven beekeeping bustle that will not only inspire the regeneration and sustainability of the trees, but also provide a decent livelihood to the surrounding community. Additional benefits of the initiative include increased fish stocks, water purification, besides provision of carbon sink.
As a government entity committed to the administration’s ambitious effort to restore the environment by growing 5 billion trees by 2032, Kenya Pipeline commits to augmenting the tree growing endeavour by growing 5 million trees every year in the next ten years. This will give us 50 million trees in the next decade. That we have partnered with the country’s experts in the tree growing exercise is a clear testament to our unequalled commitment to realizing this dream. Our tree growing endeavours will be guided by the experts to ensure that only the right trees are grown in the right places of every region (based on expert opinion). This will, to a very large extent, minimize the disturbing tree growing failure rate.
Going forward, and all factors constant, it is increasingly becoming evident that a more elaborate multi-sectoral approach to environmental restoration and conservation will be inevitable. It is an open secret that every human activity impacts the environment. In this regard, matters of the environment will not be left only to institutions whose activities are perceived to be injurious to nature, but to all and sundry. The effects of global warming, among other devastating and disturbing global phenomena, are also indicative of a great desire for all to take initiatives to restore and protect the environment.
It is therefore factual that if the world were to bequeath the next generation a planet that is worth the plate upon which it will be served, then suffice it to say that it behoves the current generation to summon all within their ability to better the situation. The zeal and tenacity with which the entire globe has coalesced to protect nature is evidence that the situation is serious. ‘Care for the environment’ is doable, and collectively, we shall achieve the goal.
