Francis Mureithi, who contested for the Embakasi East constituency seat and lost to the incumbent Babu Owino, has sued Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja's Administration seeking compensation for hundreds of victims of the recent gas explosion accident in the Mradi area.
In a petition lodged at the Milimani High Court, Mureithi also wants Nairobi City County, the Attorney General, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to be compelled to provide the affected residents of the Mradi area in Embakasi East Constituency with alternative land, shelter and or accommodation of reasonable standards until they are able to get on with their lives as before.
"An order directing the Respondents to pay general damages to all the families who lost their loved ones as well as those affected residents of Mradi area in Embakasi East Constituency in within Nairobi County who were injured either physically or mentally, suffered loss or damage to their properties as a result of the LPG blast or were impacted in any manner whatsoever by the same," Mureithi states in his affidavit.
The politician wants Sakaja's administration, EPRA, Ministry of Energy and the AG to be held responsible for neglecting their mandate leading to the unfortunate gas explosion that claimed about 10 lives and injured over 300 people.
"At all material times, it was the statutory duty of the Respondents to exercise their respective authority lawfully and properly with a view to ensuring that such a facility ( LPG refilling and storage trade) should not have been allowed to operate let alone being licensed," the affidavit added.
He argues that by licensing the said facility, Nairobi Environment Management Authority failed in its statutory duty owed to the general public and more so the affected residents of the Mradi area of Embakasi in Nairobi County.
"Pertaining to the unfortunate culmination of events on February 1, 2024, and even thereafter, the Nairobi City County failed spectacularly in the discharge of its statutory duty of care to the residents of Mradi area, as a consequence of which the said residents suffered and continue to suffer substantial injury and harm," the politician contends.
In his court papers, Mureithi noted that he came to learn that the property L.R. No. 9042/146 situated in Embakasi was by way of a Lease Agreement dated May 1, 2020, leased out to Maxxis Nairobi Energy.
He revealed that Maxxis Nairobi Energy is a Business that was registered on April 29, 2020, by the Registrar of Business names under Number BN-JRCGALMM.
"The nature of business undertaken by Maxxis Nairobi Energy is stated to be a Mini LPG Storage and Filling Plant," the petition reads.
