By BUSINESS DAILY

More by this Author

Deported Rubis Energy Kenya CEO Jean-Christian Bergeron made a quiet return to Kenya and resumed his executive role at the leading oil marketer weeks after the swearing-in of President William Ruto.

Sources told the Business Daily that Mr Bergeron, popularly known as JPB in the local oil industry, jetted back to Nairobi late October, ending his forced six-month absence from Kenya.

The State Directorate of Immigration revoked Mr Bergeron’s work permit and ordered him to leave Kenya immediately on the night of April 14, 2022 following weeks of fuel shortages that had caused a public outcry.

Low profile

The Rubis Kenya CEO has maintained a low profile since his return, infrequently visiting the firm’s headquarters in Nairobi while keeping off public engagements hosted by the industry lobby, the Petroleum Institute of East Africa (PIEA), said the sources.

“I can confirm that Mr Bergeron is in the country. My job is to regulate companies and not individuals,” Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority Director-General Daniel Kiptoo told the Business Daily on Monday.

Mr Bergeron’s deportation of followed a fuel crisis that led to long queues at service stations and a spike in petrol and diesel prices, triggering a government clampdown.

Mr Bergeron has led the company for four years.

The move to send the Frenchman parking was linked to the company’s involvement in selling more petroleum products in the neighbouring countries, which the Kenyan government had blamed for the shortage.

Regional market

Official data showed that leading oil marketers reduced their fuel allocations for Kenya in favour of the regional market where they could make more money.

Rubis goaded the State over its claims of deporting Mr Bergeron to France, saying the CEO had travelled to Paris to brief the head office on Kenya’s fuel crisis.

“JPB has been in the country but he is working away from the media limelight. He jetted back into the country in October last year,” said a source familiar with goings on at Rubis Kenya.

His return came weeks after the swearing-in of Ruto on September 13, 2022.

President Ruto replaced Uhuru Kenyatta, and his administration has since reversed a number of executive orders issued by the previous government.

Biggest casualty

Mr Bergeron was the biggest casualty of a probe of 10 CEOs of oil marketing firms who risked two years in jail or fines of up to Ksh2 million ($15,000) over the fuel crisis.

Their firms were blamed for breaching a regulation that demands they keep a minimum level of diesel and petrol stocks, causing the countrywide fuel shortage.

The 10 firms included Vivo Energy, TotalEnergies, OLA Energy, Gapco, Hass Petroleum, Petro Oil, Galana Oil and Lake Oil Petroleum.

Oil marketers in Kenya are by law required to maintain minimum stocks of petrol and diesel to last 20 days and 25 days respectively to cushion the country from supply disruptions.

Rubis Energy Kenya is owned by Rubis Energie, a subsidiary of the Rubis Group, which is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, following the full acquisition of both KenolKobil and Gulf Energy Holdings in 2019.

Rubis controls 8.6 percent of the local Kenyan market, making it the third-biggest marketer after TotalEnergies and Vivo Energies.