This archive report was first published on 25 July 2019.
Published on July 25, 2019, Kenya Power is facing a scandal involving the loss of Sh35 million due to rogue staff.
The power utility firm's acting managing director, Jared Othieno, revealed that 13 staff members had been dismissed for using unofficial channels to sell prepaid tokens.
These tokens were sold to 3,200 customers at a lower price, with the firm now seeking to recover the lost funds from consumers.
According to Othieno, the company launched internal investigations after receiving reports in November 2018 that prepaid tokens were being advertised for sale at discounted rates through social media.
Investigations established that tokens worth Sh35,280,567.60 were irregularly generated and sold between January 2018 and February 2019.
However, when questioned by the Senate's Energy Committee, Othieno ruled out refunding customers who bought tokens from fraudsters, instead suggesting they appeal to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Senators Moses Wetangula, Ochillo Ayacko, and Ledama ole Kina expressed their concerns over the matter, with Wetangula accusing Kenya Power of punishing innocent customers and Ayacko faulting the firm for recovering the money from customers.
