This archive report was first published on 24 December 2019.
December 24, 2019, marked a significant day in the fight against corruption in Kenya as the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) unearthed a multi-million shillings scandal at the Kenya Power Company.
The investigations, which started in April this year, were sparked by public outcry over hiked electricity bills. Kenyans took to social media to share their exaggerated bills under the hashtag #SwitchOffKPLC.
Following several complaints lodged with the DCI, a thorough audit of the billing systems in operation at KPLC was sanctioned. The DCI involved teams from Kenya Power, cyber forensic experts, and the Criminal Intelligence Unit of the DCI Headquarters.
The investigators found that the cartel, which included senior and junior Kenya Power staff, brokers, and some customers, had been manipulating the system to inflate power bills or strike deals with clients to reduce their bills for kickbacks.
According to the DCI, the main suspect is Edgar Ojienda, a non-staff from Kisii who worked for a contractor that worked for Kenya Power between 2014 and 2017. Ojienda was given admin rights and manipulated an account belonging to a local company to the tune of Sh3.6 million at a cost of Sh1.2 million as kickback.
The investigators also found that rogue Kenya Power staff generated pre-paid tokens for sale by altering genuine M-PESA reference numbers, leading to the loss of Sh35 million in 2018.
A general audit by Kenya Power indicates that Sh65 million was lost in transactions done in 2018 alone.
