At least 110 employees of the Kenya Power company have been fired in the last one month over electricity theft, illegal connections and fraud.
This was revealed by Kenya Power Managing Director and CEO, Bernard Ngugi during a crackdown in Embakasi to weed out illegal connections and fraudsters.
“In the past 12 months, we have had to lay off close to 100 staff members. They were fired for perpetrating fraudulent activities such as illegal connections, electricity theft, vandalism, collusion with fraudsters and cartels as well as conflict of interest,” Ngugi said.
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Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter and the Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti attended the operation, which was conducted by Kenya Power Security personnel and the police.
Ngugi says that theft of electricity and illegal connections eat up to 20 percent of company revenues every year.
“Illegal connections cost 20 per cent of system losses at KPLC and so this is something we are determined to fight,” Ngugi said.
So far 630 people have been arrested and prosecuted out of whom 115 have been convicted.
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“Stealing of electricity attracts a fine of Ksh1 million. Those who tamper or break electricity meters will be fined Ksh50,000,” he warned.
Kenya power intensified the crackdown on illegal connections in October last year with the establishment of a special response team called the Field Enforcement Unit (FEU) that works closely with security agencies to promptly address cases of illegal connections.
In January, 16 transformers and assorted cables aiding illegal power supply were recovered at Mukuru kwa Njenga in a similar operation.
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