Kenya Power Reveals It Fired Over 100 Employees Over Crime

Kenya Power has fired over 100 employees involved in criminal activities in the past one year, the CEO Bernard Ngugi has revealed.

Most of those sacked were involved in electricity theft and illegal connections that shrunk revenues for the power distributor.

“In the past 12 months, we have had to lay off close to 100 staff members. They were fired for perpetrating fraudulent activities such as illegal connections, electricity theft, vandalism, collusion with fraudsters and cartels as well as conflict of interest,” Ngugi said.

Read: Tuskys Clears The Air About Number Of Employees Sacked

Ngugi says that theft of electricity and illegal connections eat up to 20 percent of company revenues every year.

“Illegal connections cost 20 per cent of system losses at KPLC and so this is something we are determined to fight,” Ngugi said.

He was speaking during an operation to weed out illegal electricity connections at Tassia stage in Pipeline area, Nairobi.

So far 630 people have been arrested and prosecuted out of whom 115 have been convicted.

“Stealing of electricity attracts a fine of Sh1 million. Those who tamper or break electricity meters will be fined Ksh50,000,” he warned.

Read: KRA To Start Collecting Revenue In Nairobi After Power Deal

Kenya Power’s profit after tax fell by 92 per cent from Ksh3.27 billion to Ksh262 million for the year ending June 2019.

The slump was attributed to the rise in non-fuel power purchase costs from Ksh52.795 billion to Ksh70.878 billion.

Profit before tax for the period under review was Ksh334 million as compared to Ksh4.968 billion recorded in a similar period the previous year.

This is despite a growth in revenue by Ksh16.994 billion from Ksh95.435 billion in the previous year to Ksh112.429 billion in the year ending June 2019.

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