This archive report was first published on 25 December 2019.
Investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have revealed a shocking web of cartels involving Kenya Power staff and outsiders, stealing from Kenyans through manipulated power bills.
According to the detectives, the theft involves a powerful and intricate web of cartels, with Kenya Power staff colluding with outsiders to inflate power bills and steal from Kenyans.
Between last year, detectives found that Kenya Power lost at least Sh100 million, with Sh65 million from postpaid customers and Sh35 million from pre-paid customers.
DCI boss George Kinoti said that Kenyans had complained for a long time about inflated power bills, prompting investigations which started in April last year.
“The cartels should now know that we have discovered some of the ways they use to steal from Kenyans through power bills,” Kinoti said.
The detectives have been able to trace thousands of transactions where money was lost, with most of the fraud cases tracing their way to Kisii County.
They have also been able to find individuals' bank accounts where the stolen money ends up, and have warned Kenyans against buying cheap tokens from unknown people or fraudulent sources.
“Kenyans should avoid buying tokens from unknown people or from fraudulent sources,” the detectives warned.
The detectives have also revealed that Kenya Power is not sensitising the public on transactions, making them easy prey to fraudsters.
Since the investigations started, Kenya Power has suspended some staff while others have been reshuffled.
“We do not know exactly what is happening there, but we can tell since we started investigations, some people have been suspended and others reshuffled,” an investigator said.
