Wetangula directs IG of Police to be summoned over garbage dumping at Kenya Power offices
Wetangula condemned the act, warning that Kenya must not descend into lawlessness where disputes are settled through disorderly and destructive means.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has directed the House Committee on Administration and National Security to summon Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja over the failure to arrest individuals responsible for dumping garbage outside Stima Plaza, the headquarters of Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC).
Wetangula condemned the act, warning that Kenya must not descend into lawlessness where disputes are settled through disorderly and destructive means. He emphasised that the country cannot tolerate a culture where disagreements lead to the deployment of "goons and hooligans" to resolve conflicts.
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The Speaker instructed the Inspector General to explain why no action had been taken against what he termed as publicly known criminal behaviour by the Nairobi County Government.
"We shall not allow this country to be reduced to a state of wild, wasteful behaviour where you disagree with someone, and you send goons and hooligans to sort out your mess. That is not Kenya, and it must stop. I, therefore, direct the Inspector General to establish why no action has been taken against this publicly known criminal behaviour by the Nairobi City County Government,” he said.
The directive follows growing criticism from MPs, who are demanding that Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja be summoned for gross misconduct after county officials dumped garbage outside KPLC offices over Sh4.8 billion dues.
The MPs argue that Sakaja violated multiple laws, including the Nuisance Act, environmental laws, the Health Act, and the Penal Code. They also called for any governor found guilty of gross misconduct to be summoned and impeached.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula directs security committee to summon Police IG Douglas Kanja over failure to arrest those who dumped garbage at Stima Plaza in Nairobi.
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) February 26, 2025
Wetang'ula: I therefore direct the Inspector General to establish why no action has been taken… pic.twitter.com/LxtMkaBXfz
Sakaja summon
The MPs now want Sakaja to appear before them next week to explain why he authorised the act.
Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah also criticised the act, arguing that it amounted to the misuse of public funds. He noted that resources were being wasted on both the illegal dumping and the subsequent clean-up. Ichung’wah expressed concern over the potential consequences if governors had direct control over law enforcement, suggesting that such powers could lead to further abuse.
"Dumping garbage deliberately on a road, you will expend public resources to dump and later clean up. It is an abuse of public funds. We cannot allow this kind of behaviour to go unchecked. You can imagine if these governors had policemen under their command, they'd trample on anyone. Mine is to ask the IG of Police to make sure that action is taken against those who dumped outside Stima Plaza,” he said.
He called on the Inspector General of Police to take immediate action against those involved, emphasizing that authorities should have no difficulty identifying both the individuals who carried out the act and those who ordered it.
"It should be very easy for the IG of police through DCI to extract information as to who were the drivers who dumped waste at the KPLC offices and the people who instructed them. Whether it goes all the way up to the governor, it should not matter because we should not entertain criminality in the guise of attempting to collect your debt from public institutions," he said.
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed condemned the incident, terming them primitive and uncouth.
"The last two days, there was an episode in Nairobi County where people who could not pay their electricity bills went ahead and dumped a truck full of garbage in front of the premises of KPLC. That is not the way to do things. Many people have defaulted in paying their bills, not just Nairobi County. I stand here to condemn that matter; it is primitive and uncouth,” he said.
Junet: The last two days, there was an episode in Nairobi county where people who could not pay their electricity bills went ahead and dumped a truck full of garbage in front of premises of KPLC. I stand here to condemn that matter, it is primitive and uncouth. pic.twitter.com/2ZLQmp8LtD
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) February 26, 2025
Ugenya MP David Ouma added, "We allow governors and county governments to get away with too much. If there's a time a governor should be impeached for gross misconduct, it is now. There's no reason why the governor for Nairobi should be in office when his CEC for Finance says they dumped garbage knowingly. I think this assembly must start summoning governors where they go afoul of the law."
Seme MP James Nyikal pointed out the public health risks, stating, "It is not only the police that we should ask. What was actually done is a public nuisance, and under the Public Health Act, the driver and their bosses who allowed that to happen can be charged. They exposed people to garbage and sewer, which can easily cause an epidemic."
However, on Wednesday, Sakaja denied authorising the dumping of garbage by county government staff at Stima Plaza. He clarified that he only approved enforcement measures such as blocking access to Kenya Power offices, cutting off water supply, and sealing sewer lines after the power company disconnected electricity at City Hall.
“The law allows the county government to halt rendering services in cases where clients fail to pay for services offered,” Sakaja explained.
He said any action was taken starting Friday after KPLC failed to act on a 60-day demand notice.
“So on Friday, we disconnected water and sewer services at Kenya Power offices and deployed four vehicles to block the entrance at Stima Plaza. I reprimanded the county staff for dumping garbage at Stima Plaza entrance as they were strictly instructed to block it, not dump,” he said.
Sakaja explained that the mistake was corrected, and the garbage was collected after he intervened.
The standoff between Nairobi County and Kenya Power arises from an ongoing dispute over unpaid bills. Kenya Power claims Nairobi County owes them Sh3.1 billion in electricity bills, while the county insists KPLC owes them Sh4.8 billion in wayleave fees for the use of county land to install power lines and cables.
The conflict escalated when Kenya Power disconnected power to county offices over unpaid bills. In retaliation, the county government blocked KPLC offices and cut off water and sewerage connections.
Kenya Power General Manager for Commercial and Sales, Rosemary Oduor, defended the power disconnection, saying it was in line with the law.
“We disconnected power in their offices and some of their installations to distress for their bill arrears. When one fails to pay for their bills, the utility can withdraw the service so that they are impressed upon to pay the bill,” she said.
She added that power was restored after the county government expressed a commitment to clear part of its debt.
“They requested that we restore the power supply so that we continue with that journey together. We restored the power supply on Friday based on the commitment,” she explained.
County Secretary Godfrey Akumali, however, insisted that KPLC is to blame, saying, “Let it be very clear—KPLC owes us Sh4.8 billion. Several letters demanding payment—sent in 2017, 2019, and 2020—have gone unanswered.”
Finance CEC Charles Kerich further claimed that KPLC earns revenue by leasing power poles for internet services without paying wayleave fees to the county.
“KPLC now hosts optic cables and internet services. Those green and red cables on their poles? That’s the internet. They are making money, yet they refuse to pay their debt,” he said.
In response, KPLC cited Section 223 of the Energy Act, 2019, which states: “No public body shall charge levies on public energy infrastructure without the consent of the Cabinet Secretary in writing.”
To resolve the dispute, Governor Sakaja and Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi held a meeting at City Hall on Wednesday, attended by representatives from Kenya Power, Nairobi County, the Energy Ministry, and the Head of Public Service.
Following the discussions, Sakaja confirmed that the county would restore water supply and remove the garbage trucks, while commercial disputes over wayleave fees and electricity bills would be handled separately.
“We agreed those commercial disputes would be resolved between Wandayi and I. If need be, the Intergovernmental Technical Relations Committee will be involved,” Sakaja said.
He emphasised that Kenya Power escalated the situation by disconnecting power despite an agreement reached in December 2024.
“We had meetings as recently as December and agreed on how we’d resolve our issues, but when you disconnect us at will, then we’re also entitled to enforce,” he said.
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