By Gitahi Ngunyi
Kenyan billionaire Humphrey Kariuki has won Sh790 million contracts to supply Jet Fuel in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
A statement from Kariuki’s oil and gas flagship company, Dalbit Petroleum said the two contracts were secured with World Food Programme (WFP).
“Dalbit has secured two major petroleum products supply contracts with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Gulu, Northern Uganda and Goma, in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),” said Dalbit in the statement.
The oil firm said the contracts are valued at approximately US$ 6.8 million (Sh680 million) and US$1.1 million (Sh110 million) respectively and that the two tenders were secured following competitive bidding processes.
The contracts will see Dalbit International South Sudan supply Jet fuel to the WFP bases in Gulu and Goma.
In Gulu, the firm has additionally completed the construction of a brand new operating depot with a capacity to hold more than 720,000 litres of Jet A1 products. The firm is additionally building and will operate a depot to world-class standards in Goma to facilitate the smooth execution of the tender. The operations will include a compact refuelling bowser configured to serve various types of aircraft.
The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.
At the Dalbit Goma depot, engineering works are at an advanced stage to complete the fabrication of two petroleum products holding tanks. Each of them, with a capacity of 1 million litres, will be connected to ancillary infrastructure including a purpose-built fuelling bay with a further two storage tanks for Jet A1 and Gasoil fuels.
The company operates four depots in Juba, Rumbek, Wau and Bor with a storage capacity of over 6 million litres for Gasoil and Jet-A14.
“We are excited that Dalbit has secured the contract to supply WFP in Gulu and Goma and this works well with our commitment to fuelling regional growth across the social and economic development fronts,” said Dalbit International South Sudan Country Business Manager, John Paul Ogondi.
“In such remote areas, Dalbit is deploying tailor-made solutions including customised product delivery options to enable WFP to meet its humanitarian mandate efficiently and cost-effectively,” said Ogondi
