Hashi Energy Ltd is among the oldest oil marketing companies in East Africa having started as a kerosene distributor for Chevron Kenya.
The company was initially named Hashi Empex Limited but was later re-registered as Hashi Energy because of the vision of it’s founder Ahmed Hashi, who saw great business potential in remote, unfavourable terrains and unstable states within the surrounding regions.
The company has operations in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Southern Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Mauritius and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a past interview, Hashi spoke on how he ventured into the petroleum business as distributor.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Employment
Ahmed Hashi first worked in a textile shop and he would transport the products to the East African countries.
Hashi worked in the textile industry until mid-70s when he quit to venture into business and sold second-hand textile products to countries such as Uganda.
At the same time, Hashi sold branded plastics bags to six supermarkets across East Africa.
Getting into petroleum business
The billionaire businessman worked until 1991 when he, alongside his wife, Fatuma registered Hashi Limited as a business.
He got a contract to distribute kerosene for Chevron, then known as Caltex to areas where they lacked presence.
Hashi as a company would distribute kerosene in jerrycans, transporting the petroleum product to countries such as Rwanda and Congo.
Later, the company grew and started distributing on their own instead of working with other companies.
Hashi Limited growth
The company has grown to market and distribute bulk unleaded premium mogas, automotive gas oil, illuminating kerosene, Jet A1, fuel oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Hashi Haulers handles transportation of products with over 40 trucks in their fleet.
The company also sells liquified petroleum gas in 6 kg, 13 kg and 35 kg cylinder sizes. Hashi Gas has a 420,000 metric tonnes holding capacity for LPG in Mombasa making it the second biggest in Kenya.
The company has 300 employees with offices across East Africa.
Auctioneer
Hashi Energy properties were put up on auction by Nairobi-based auctioneer Dalali Traders.
“Under instructions received from the chargees’ advocates we shall sell by public auction the under-mentioned properties on August 15, 2023, at our offices along Kijabe Street starting at 10.30am,” a notice on local newspapers read.
Properties to be auctioned are in Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret and Mombasa counties to recover a Sh5 billion debt.