'The garbage' governor: Sakaja's stinking mess at City Hall and Kenya Power tussle over debts

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja accompanied by senior county officials addresses a media briefing outside City Hall, Nairobi, on February 26, 2025. [Benard Orwongo, Standard] In a shocking and misguided show of power, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, bestowed with ensuring a safe and clean environment in the city, on Monday dumped a truck load of garbage outside Stima Plaza, ostensibly to recover debts. For nearly three days, workers at Stima Plaza, main offices of Kenya Power Company were treated to wafting stench from a mix of garbage and raw sewage. The move involved barricading the Kenya Power offices to compel the entity pay more than Sh5 billion to the county, funds that City Hall claims KPLC owes them. The county also disconnected water supply to Stima Plaza, Electricity House and other installations. Kenyans equated the irresponsible action, by a governor in charge of East and Central Africa's biggest capital, to environmental terror on innocent workers. At the centre of the tiff, it emerged, is a Sh5.13 billion demand by the county from Kenya Power in wayleave charges. On the other hand, Kenya Power is demanding Sh3 billion in unpaid electricity bills from the county. Yesterday, Sakaja said the action was taken after the power company failed to act on 60-day demand notice demanding the Sh5 billion. He said his administration withdrew critical services to the power producer. "When you disconnect us at will, then we are entitled to enforce. But an eye for an eye always loses sight. And that is not the country we want," Sakaja said. "We are also saying everybody must pay their share of what is required in this county and we are giving a notice to all ratepayers in Nairobi the deadline for payment of rates is March. We have to remind all of us of the responsibility." Kenya Power on the other hand insisted it does not owe the county the Sh5 billion it has claimed. The firm cited the law that bars county governments and other entities from imposing levies on energy infrastructure. "On the claim that we owe the County money arising from wayleaves charges, we wish to state that Section 223 of the Energy Act, 2019 expressly states that "no public body shall charge levies on public energy infrastructure without the consent of the Cabinet Secretary in writing," said the firm in a statement. Kenya Power however said the county owes it Sh3 billion in unpaid electricity bills. The debt, Kenya Power said, has nearly doubled since Sakaja took over as governor. "The Nairobi City County has an outstanding debt owed to Kenya Power, which has accumulated over the years and currently stands at Sh3 billion," said the power distributor. The main entrance of Stima Plaza,on 24th February 2025 at Stima Plaza Kenya power headquarters in Nairobi,After Nairobi county government block Kenya power entrance with garbage over wrangles of unpaid bill. "Worryingly, the debt has increased by Sh1.3 billion in the last two years." The firm said it had reached an agreement with the County Government in December for a monthly payment of a total of Sh110 million, of which Sh60 would go to settling the old debt while the balance of Sh50 million would be for the current bill. "In January 2025, the county paid Sh36 million, which was significantly below the expected Sh330 million required to cover the bills for November 2024, December 2024, and January 2025," said Kenya Power, adding it followed up to get the balance but its attempts were unsuccessful and resorted to disconnecting power supply to some of Nairobi County's facilities on February 14. The accusations and counter-accusations saw the situation deteriorate from a financial dispute between the entities into distasteful chaos as the two tried to flex their respective muscles on each other. After Kenya Power disconnected the supply to city hall's facilities, the County would dump garbage at Kenya Power's main offices, disconnect the water supply and block sewer lines at both Stima Plaza and Electricity House at Nairobi's CBD, causing sewage to flow on the streets affecting many people in Nairobi that were not party to the exchange. On Kolobot Road in Ngara, the stench from the garbage spread rapidly, affecting nearby businesses, pedestrians, and commuters. "This is absolutely disgusting. The smell is unbearable, and our customers are staying away," lamented Jane Muthoni, the manager of a cafe near Stima Plaza. "How does the county government justify this? They are punishing innocent businesses instead of resolving their issues professionally." Residents in Ngara neighbourhood also expressed outrage, warning of potential health hazards. "With this kind of filth here, we are staring at a cholera outbreak," said Patrick Odhiambo, a shopkeeper. "We understand that the county and Kenya Power have issues, but why should ordinary citizens suffer?" he posed. Kenya Power staff also bore the brunt of the crisis, with employees struggling to access their workplace. The company's General Manager for Commercial Services and Sales, Rosemary Oduor, condemned the county's actions, calling them "reckless and unprofessional." The county government also retaliated by removing fire optic cables owned by different Internet Service Providers. This caused internet outages for some businesses and city residents. This in turn pulled into their dispute the Communications Authority of Kenya which has since taken issue with the county over its actions. CA said the actions had "disrupted critical internet services" to schools, education institutions and the public.

'The garbage' governor: Sakaja's stinking mess at City Hall and Kenya Power tussle over debts

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'The garbage' governor: Sakaja's stinking mess at City Hall and Kenya Power tussle over debts

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