Fuelling Enterprise and Empowerment
Operating in an ever-competitive downstream petroleum market, Kenya’s Astrol Petroleum prides itself on quality, service and integrity to stand out from the crowd
Cutting through the competition in Kenya’s downstream petroleum market
Fuelling Enterprise and Empowerment
Kenya’s petroleum market is an increasingly busy one. Promising discoveries made in the northern region of Turkana have led to investment in crude oil production and export facilities, activity which could be underway by 2021, while construction of the 450-kilometre, $476.6 million Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline was completed in 2018.
The latter is a much-needed breakthrough which, once commissioning is complete, will replace the Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline that has been in operation for 40 years.
Although the Turkana deposits are slated for export only, such developments are cause for optimism among Kenya’s petroleum players.
A market historically dominated by foreign multinationals, the country is a net importer of petroleum products, making the ability to differentiate of paramount importance in what is a crowded industry.
This is especially the case for native independent enterprises such as Astrol Petroleum.
Specialising in the supply and distribution of products in Kenya via its network of filling stations, the company serves motorists, agribusinesses, power stations and industrial manufacturers around the country.
“This is not an industry for the fainthearted,” says James Mwangi, the organisation’s Managing Director. “It is an extremely competitive field thanks to the open tender system in place, and around a hundred companies are involved in bidding for the importation of fuel.
“This makes for a fast-moving, vibrant market and the discovery of oil in the north is certainly a positive step – I hope this brings more investment into our country.”
Father figure
Mwangi is following in his father’s footsteps in running the company. Inspired by his legacy, he first entered the world of business because of the entrepreneurial spirit flowing through the family.
“I have had a passion for it from a young age,” he says. “My late dad had always been an entrepreneur in industries such as transport, construction and oil, so in 1993 I started assisting him with some of his work before going to university and studying international business administration.
“I continued to run errands during my time at university, and after I graduated in 1997 I decided to continue with him rather than find a job with another company. This led me to start my own small venture with LPG and that’s how my dream began.
“The faith my father placed in me has resulted in getting to this point. We were a great team, and he gave me hope. He was also uncompromising on his values relating to hard work and integrity, something which has stayed with me ever since.”
This etching of quality, service and honesty into Astrol’s DNA has enabled it to cut through much of the competition, especially in and around Nairobi, an area which Mwangi cites as holding around 60 percent of Kenya’s petroleum market share.