The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has refuted claims that he authorized the dumping of garbage by county government staff at Stima Plaza.
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Sakaja clarified that he only approved enforcement actions such as blocking access to Kenya Power offices at Stima Plaza, cutting off their water supply, and sealing their sewer lines after Kenya Power disconnected power at City Hall.
The governor explained that the county is within its legal rights to halt services when clients fail to pay for them.
He noted that these actions started on Friday after Kenya Power ignored a 60-day demand notice.
“We disconnected water and sewer services at Kenya Power offices on Friday and deployed four vehicles to block Stima Plaza’s entrance. I reprimanded county staff for dumping garbage at the entrance, as they were instructed to block it, not dump trash,” Sakaja told Radio Jambo.
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He confirmed that the mistake was corrected, and the garbage was removed after his intervention.
Sakaja also addressed the issue, stating that Kenya Power owes the county Sh4.8 billion for using county wayleaves for the passage of power and internet cables.
“We’ve been waiting for them to pay, as directed by the court,” he explained.
The governor acknowledged that the county also owes Kenya Power Sh1.5 billion, but they had agreed to pay it in monthly installments of Sh100 million.
“We agreed that they wouldn’t disconnect power at county offices because we’re a government entity and experience delays in fund disbursements, but they disconnected power last week,” Sakaja said.
To resolve the issue, a meeting has been scheduled with all involved parties, including the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, and Kenya Power officials, with Sakaja representing the county.
The ongoing dispute escalated on Monday when both the Nairobi County government and Kenya Power clashed over unpaid bills. Kenya Power accused the county of owing Sh3.1 billion in electricity bills, while the county claimed Kenya Power owes them Sh4.83 billion.
The tension began last week when Kenya Power disconnected power to some county offices due to unpaid bills. In retaliation, the county cut off the water and sewerage services to Stima Plaza.
Kenya Power defended its actions, saying they were in line with the law, emphasizing that failure to pay bills results in service disconnections. They also mentioned that they restored power on Friday after the county confirmed plans to settle part of the bill.
In a counterstatement, County Secretary Godfrey Akumali denied the claim that the county owed Sh3.1 billion, asserting that Kenya Power actually owes the county Sh4.8 billion. He also highlighted that several demand letters had gone unanswered.
Akumali stated that the county would restore services once Kenya Power pays its debt. He emphasized that the county has been without power for days because of disconnections, despite always paying its bills.
Finance CEC Charles Kerich pointed out that Kenya Power leases its poles and transmission lines to internet service providers, making money from fiber-optic cables without paying wayleave fees to the county.
In response, Kenya Power referred to the Energy Act, 2019, which prohibits public bodies from charging levies on energy infrastructure without the consent of the cabinet secretary.
Despite the ongoing disagreement, Akumali expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue to resolve the matter.
