Town rocked by Shell, Total row over petrol station

By ALEX NAMULIRO

Kakamega, Kenya: There was drama in Kakamega town when owners of a Total branded petrol station on the Kisumu–Kakamega-Webuye highway allegedly demolished structures erected by Vivo Energy Company Limited.

Vivo is the exclusive licensee of the Shell brand in Kenya, and the premises are at the centre of a row between a Kakamega businessman, Mr Timothy Maloba, who owns the premises, and Total Kenya Limited after Malobo signed into a lease with Vivo. Trouble began weeks ago when Vivo started putting up structures and on the land and painting them yellow.

Yesterday, representatives said to be from Total Kenya arrived at the scene and began demolishing the structures and changing the colours back to red.

The iron sheets used to barricade the premises to allow renovations were brought down, forcing the police to intervene in the matter as residents of Kakamega watched in disbelief.

On Monday, Maloba through his lawyer Dave Masake had moved to the Kakamega High Court seeking orders restraining Total Kenya from interfering with the lease agreement between him and Vivo Energy.

Vivo had been operating on the premises for one week after Total relocated.

But Total moved to the Milimani courts on Wednesday seeking an order to restrain the defendants (Maloba, Vivo and Maloba Petrol station) from interfering with itss possession and trading at the petrol station.

This was a day after Maloba was granted an injunction.

During the commotion yesterday, lawyers representing Maloba had to seek intervention from the police to enforce the court order.

The demolition was stopped after Kakamega Deputy OCPD Daniel Kinyua instructed those on site to honour the earlier court order.