A Kenya Power employee has been arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for allegedly extorting a customer out of Ksh 15,000. The arrest is part of a series of actions taken by the EACC against corrupt state officers. The suspect was apprehended in Nairobi’s Donholm estate.
According to the EACC, the suspect, who is currently out on police bond pending further investigations, had threatened to increase the complainant’s electricity bill if the amount was not paid. The suspect reportedly stated, “If you don’t pay this small amount of Ksh 15,000, I will inflate your bill, and you will be surprised. We dealt with someone else in this estate who thought they were smart like you, and we gave them a bill of Ksh 800,000. Find that money (Ksh 15,000) and bring it if you don’t want any trouble.”
Eric Ngumbi, the head of public communications at the EACC, confirmed the arrest and called on the public to report similar cases of extortion by officials from Kenya Power and Nairobi Water. He stated that such incidents are increasing and urged residents to come forward with information.
The complainant explained to the authorities that he had two power meters installed at his residence—one for regular power usage and the other for a boiler. Since he was not using the boiler, the corresponding meter remained inactive. In January, a Kenya Power employee, in collaboration with another individual at the Donholm substation, removed the inactive meter.
Six months later, the suspect approached the complainant and claimed that he had a significant outstanding bill related to the removed meter. The suspect insisted that the complainant pay him the amount in order to resolve the issue and correct his records at the office.
This arrest follows the recent apprehension of four police officers who were caught extorting money from motorists on Nairobi’s Outering Road. The officers reportedly collected a substantial sum of Ksh 15,820 in less than two hours. The money recovered from them consisted of 50, 100, and 200 shilling notes.