The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) sleuths have arrested a Kenya Power officer accused of demanding a Ksh15,000 bribe from a client.
Officials aware of the matter intimated to K24 Difital that the officer had threatened to increase the customer’s bill to over Ksh800,000.
The Kenya Power officer who has been released on police bail was allegedly extorting money from a resident of Greenfield Estate in Donholm.
Confirming the arrest, EACC Head of Corporate Affairs and Communication Eric Ngumbi said that the Commission is receiving many reports of corruption in the administration of water and electricity bills.
“Water and electricity consumers should continue to expose the Government officials demanding bribes for whatever reason. Likewise, the consumers should discharge their obligation to promptly pay utility bills,” Ngumbi said.
The Kenya Power official, Seth Ogwoka Bonuke of Staff No. 15874 and ID No. 20058484, was arrested by EACC detectives on Friday evening in connection with the alleged bribery and extortion claims.
The complainant informed EACC that he used to have two power meters installed in his residence in Donholm. One was for the ordinary provision of power while the second one was meant for a boiler.
However, the complainant never used power for the boiler at any time and therefore the power meter meant for that purpose remained unused. He has only been using one meter for the general provision of power in his residence.
In January 2023, a KPLC employee working with the suspect at the Donholm substation removed the power meter that was not in use, with the concurrence of the complainant.
Six months later, the suspect approached the complainant purporting that the complainant had a huge outstanding bill that he should have been paying with respect to the metre that Kenya Power had removed. The suspect told the complainant that he must pay him Ksh15,000 for the matter to be sorted smoothly and his records in the office ‘rectified.’
When the complainant resisted the illegal payment demand the suspect told him that he would inflate the bill to over Ksh800,000, just like “he had done with another client who resisted his demands”.
Shocked by the suspect’s bribe demands and threats, the complainant reported the matter to EACC which commenced investigations immediately resulting in the arrest of the suspect as he received the bribe amount from the complainant.
The suspect was escorted to Integrity Centre Police Station where he was processed and later booked at Kilimani Police Station for safe custody.
The Commission has released him on a cash bail of Ksh30,000 pending the finalization of the remaining aspects of the investigation.
