Billionaire erects $124 million gas terminal to challenge Kenya’s import duopoly

The 30,000-tonne facility located at the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone is currently approaching completion, according to the Kenya Special Economic Zones Authority.

The terminal features 12 spherical tanks on a 30-acre site near the Port of Mombasa, with designed capacity to expand up to 45,000 tonnes for bulk imports, storage, and regional distribution.

The new development introduces major capacity to a market where installed cooking gas storage stood at 44,430 tonnes as of March 2025.

Between July and December 2025, two facilities handled all recorded imports into Kenya, with one jetty taking roughly 90 percent and another handling 10 percent.

The addition of the Taifa Gas terminal introduces a third large-scale route into the market, giving fuel marketers additional storage options and enabling larger import cargoes to cushion against delivery disruptions.

Demand for cooking gas in Kenya grew by 14.59% year-on-year to 251,425 tonnes in the second half of 2025 as households shifted away from charcoal and wood.

Construction of the Mombasa terminal originally began in 2023 but experienced delays due to local compensation disputes and legal challenges regarding environmental concerns, both of which were cleared by late 2025.

Billionaires. Africa noted that Rostam Aziz has expanded his commercial footprint across energy, mining, aviation, and media, with the Mombasa gas terminal representing one of the largest private foreign direct investments in Kenya in recent decades.