Kenya Power has roped in the police as well as Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers to deal with criminals engaged in illegal power connections, theft of power and vandalism of electricity supply equipment among others.
The power utility firm has begun a crackdown in Imara Daima estate in Nairobi and intend to roll out a countrywide campaign to deal with those engaged in illegal power connections and theft of equipment. .
“We will do this through identification of the sources of illegal connections, discontinue these supplies and thereafter install lawful supplies that the customers can enjoy. We will intensify these crackdowns not just in Nairobi but the rest of the country with subsequent rollout of the campaign in all our regions,” said Kenya Power’s Managing Director & CEO, Mr. Bernard Ngugi.
Theft and vandalism of electricity supply equipment is an economic crime under the Energy Act with minimum fines KSh 5 million or imprisonment of 10 years or both on conviction.
Mr. Ngugi disclosed that Kenya Power is working closely with investigating agencies to unmask persons involved in these illegal activities with the aim of prosecuting them in court.
In November 2019 Kenya Power rolled out a campaign dubbed ‘Know Your Meter’ covering all regions within Nairobi and its environs.
The campaign is meant to increase customer satisfaction, public safety and enhance the Company’s revenue protection measures.
It entails checking all premises connected to electricity to ensure the meters are installed correctly and functional as required by safety and technical standards of the Energy Act 2019.
It is also expected to resolve any outstanding customer concerns and weed out illegal and unsafe connections.
“It is now about two months since commencement of the Know Your Meter campaign.
So far, the outcome shows that while a good number of honest Kenyans are enjoying legally connected electricity, there are others who have opted to engage in illegal connections, by-passing of meters and other similar vices that offences under the Energy Act,” said Mr. Ngugi.
