The following article was suggested by one of our readers—if theres an idea you would like us to cover, please submit it here. Kenol Kobil Rwanda fuel outlets will henceforth be known as Rubis Energie Rwanda following a move to rebrand outlets across the country. Kenol Kobil, a regional firm with presence in Rwanda involved in the storage, distribution and sale of petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas is in the process of rebranding to RUBIS following acquisition French energy firm Rubis Energie in 2019. Rubis Energie is part of a French firm with specialized operations in the storage, distribution and sale of petroleum, liquefied petroleum gas, food and chemical products. The rebranding in Rwanda which is currently underway follow similar rebranding across the region where the firm has presence. In other markets, Rubis has commenced acquiring other players as they seek to be a market leader across the bloc. In Kenya, Rubis announced a partnership with Brioche, a Rwandan coffee shop and bakery to set up cafés at their service stations nationwide. Kenol Kobil has over 50 service stations in Rwanda and in 2018 acquired 10 service stations previously operated by Delta Petroleum Rwanda. Faith Irungu, the Country Manager of the firm said that rebrand is part of ongoing integration of Kenol Kobil subsidiaries across the region as the new management seeks to improve outlook of outlets. She said that the new management has significantly higher standards in aspects such as outlook, brand positioning and customer service. She said that the rebrand and change of ownership will not affect standing engagement with employees, service providers and others. She however noted that employees are currently undergoing training in line with the firm’s service delivery protocols. Petroleum is one of the most lucrative industries in Rwanda, based on official trade statistics. While petroleum products are one of the country’s leading imports, in volume and value, they are also one of its top re-exports. In 2020, Rwanda spent $348.7 million on the importation of 691,400 tonnes of fuel and lubricants. Petroleum products are also one of Rwanda’s re-exports with 2020 values standing at $75.9 million down from $135.7 million in the previous year, central bank statistics indicate. The country has about twenty active oil-marketing companies involved in the importation, transportation, storage, distribution and wholesale of petroleum products. Before the Covid-19 lockdown, Rwanda was estimated to consume about 20 million litres of fuel per month, according to official data which reduced during the measures to curb the pandemic. The demand for petroleum is estimated to have surpassed 640,000m3/per annum as of last year, up from 360,000m3/per annum in 2016, reflecting growing opportunities for investors. The Government has been seeking for private sector investments in oil storage to cater for growing demand. Increased investment would also raise the country’s fuel storage capacity and cushion the economy against any shocks. The current level of demand is expected to require 198 million litres in reserves by 2024.
