Opposition leader Raila Odinga has thrown his weight behind the government’s plan to privatise the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), saying the firm will still remain a national asset even if its shares are sold.
President William Ruto announced in July that the State intended to list KPC at the Nairobi Securities Exchange once Cabinet and Parliament approved the plan.
But a month later, the High Court blocked the move after the Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) challenged it, arguing it was not in the public interest.
Speaking on Monday during an ODM Parliamentary Group meeting, Raila dismissed fears that privatisation would undermine national control of the company. He insisted that KPC’s underground pipeline network will always remain within Kenya.
“I want to thank CS Treasury CS John Mbadi for bringing out the issues. He has talked about selling off some assets. Kenya Pipeline Corporation. KPC is underground, from Mombasa to Nairobi, even if you sell it, where is somebody taking it? It remains an asset of Kenya, it is just there on the ground. If someone wants to buy it, buy it,” Raila said.
The ODM leader compared the proposal to former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s response when Arabs sought to buy historic British buildings.
“That is what Margaret Thatcher told the Britons when the Arabs wanted to buy historical buildings in the UK. She said even if they buy Buckingham Palace, where are they going to take it? It remains here; it is an asset. Sell KPC so that we can get money to invest instead of borrowing.”
According to Raila, the sale would allow the government to raise money for investment and reduce dependence on loans.
KPC is a key player in the country’s energy supply chain and has remained profitable over the years. The government has argued that selling part of it would attract private capital and expertise, modernise its operations, and strengthen its role as a regional logistics and energy hub.
However, Justice Bahati Mwamuye, in his August ruling, barred the Treasury, the Privatisation Authority, and other State agencies from offering, transferring, or disposing of KPC shares until the Cofek petition is heard and decided.
“Pending the inter partes hearing and determination of the petitioner’s notice of motion application dated August 14, 2025, a conservatory order be and is hereby issued restraining the respondents and the interested parties, jointly and severally, and whether by themselves or through their agents, servants, or any person acting under their authority, from offering for sale, allocating, disposing, transferring, or otherwise dealing with any shares of the Kenya Pipeline Company Limited pursuant to the impugned privatisation plan that is the subject of the petition herein,” the judge ruled.
