At dusk in Nairobi, the smell of frying chips floats through busy streets. Pans bubble. Potatoes turn golden.
People line up for their favourite snack, unaware that within some of these pans lies a dark secret.
Instead of cooking oil, some food vendors are using transformer oil – the thick, brown fluid meant to cool electricity transformers.
It looks like cooking oil. It lasts much longer. But it can quietly poison anyone who eats food fried in it.
Why do some vendors use transformer oil?
For many small food sellers, life is tough. Cooking oil is expensive. A single busy day can use litres of it.
Transformer oil, however, doesn’t finish fast. Vendors say they can use the same batch for days. This saves them money – and keeps their business going.
But there is a hidden chain behind this cheap shortcut.
Thieves target electricity transformers, drain the oil, and sell it on the black market.
Some vendors buy it because it is cheaper than real cooking oil.
Recently, in Kenya, a man and a hotel owner were both jailed for trading and using transformer oil to fry chips.
The law is clear: the oil is not food. It is dangerous. And using it is a crime.
What exactly is transformer oil?
Transformer oil is designed for use in machines, not for human consumption.
Its primary function is to cool heated electrical components and to prevent sparking. It was never intended for contact with food intended for people.
In the past, many transformer oils contained PCBs, chemicals so toxic that the world banned them.
Even modern versions, without PCBs, are still unsafe. Safety reports warn that if transformer oil is swallowed and gets into the lungs, it can be fatal.
Scientists have tested it in labs. When rats were fed heated transformer oil, their livers, kidneys, and intestines were damaged. Their bodies showed signs of swelling and stress.
And the danger doesn’t stop there.
When oil – any oil – is heated again and again, it breaks down. It creates harmful chemicals linked to cancer, heart problems, stomach issues and nerve damage.
Now imagine heating transformer oil repeatedly in dirty street pans. The risks climb even higher.
What it means for people who eat the chips
The chips may look normal. They may smell delicious. They may crunch perfectly.
But inside them are toxins that can build up slowly in the body.
Doctors warn that eating food fried in transformer oil can cause:
– Organ damage
– Stomach illness
– Breathing problems
– Cancer later in life
Health officials say the rise in cancer cases is partly linked to eating food fried in such unsafe oils.
For many Kenyans who rely on cheap street food, this is frightening. One doctor put it simply:
“This oil is extremely dangerous.”
A problem bigger than the plate
The issue touches more than health.
When thieves drain transformers, whole neighbourhoods can lose electricity. Schools go dark. Homes go cold. Businesses stop. Repairing transformers costs millions.
So, the innocent-looking chips fried in transformer oil carry two dangers:
they harm the body and they harm the country’s power system.
Sizzling danger
In the glowing pans of Nairobi’s streets, chips continue to sizzle. But behind some of those golden colours is a poison hiding in plain sight.
As long as life stays hard and cooking oil stays costly, some vendors may be tempted to use transformer oil.
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And as long as people don’t know the risk, they will keep buying.
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