Nairobi leaders have condemned the act by the Nairobi City County government to dump waste, block entrance and cut water supply to Kenya Power and Lighting headquarters including Stima Plaza.
Led by the Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, the leaders have stated that even though the County and KPLC have debt wrangles, the matters should have been solved amicably without going as low as dumping garbage at Stima Plaza Complex.
The City Senator added that he recently had a meeting with the Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi who promised to ensure all the pending bills by his ministry to Nairobi City County are paid.
“All this drama is unnecessary. I sat in a meeting with CS Wandayi a few weeks ago and he assured me that his ministry had agreed to take up payment of streetlight bills because it was a security function,” Sifuna stated.
Kileleshwa Member of County Assembly Robert Alai condemned the Act by the Sakaja administration terming it as unprofessional and unethical as it constitutes to abuse of power.
The legislator added that it is unfortunate people entrusted with power can go that low as he referred to the act as Institution terrorism and accused the county officials of being reckless and punitive.
“I stand today to strongly and unequivocally condemn the outrageous and unlawful actions executed by Nairobi City County against Kenya Power. The dumping of garbage, disconnection of water and sewer services, clamping and towing of vehicles, and the harassment of staff at Stima Plaza is not only unprofessional and unethical but also constitutes a gross abuse of power and authority,” Alai stated.
“These actions, allegedly sanctioned by the County Secretary, Akumali, and the CEC Finance, Charles Kerich, under the directive of the Governor, amount to nothing short of institutional terrorism. It is disheartening that public officials entrusted with power and responsibility have chosen to use it in such a reckless and punitive manner,” he added.
Alai stated that Nairobi City County, or any public institution should not be allowed to become an instrument of terror and lawlessness adding that Public office is a public trust, and those who abuse it must be held accountable.
“I stand firm against this gross abuse of power and demand immediate action to restore order, respect for the law, and public trust,” he said.
The MCA said the act by the county officials is hypothetical as he compared the situation to whether criminals would be left free as retaliation to societal disagreement it would be absurd.
“If the prisons released criminals as a form of retaliation, public safety would be at risk, and the rule of law would be shattered or if the military turned its might against its citizens due to political disagreements, it would mark the end of democracy and the birth of tyranny,” he remarked.
Justifying the actions by the County government, Majority leader and Makongeni Member of County Assembly Peter Imwatok said even though the action by the county was controversial and drastic, it was a response to KPLC’s failure to meet its obligations.
“While the actions were admittedly unorthodox, they were justifiable under the circumstances as the County government has the responsibility to protect resources and ensure operations are not hindered by entities,” Imwatok said in his statement.
According to Imwatok, the alleged Sh4.1 billion owed by KPLC to Nairobi is not a matter of negotiations but accountability and responsibility.
The leaders have however called on the Power supplier and other entities that owe the City County to pay their dues for the efficient running of the county.
They state that the refusal by the entities to pay the money shows non-commitment by the National government to support devolution.
“National Government institutions refuse to pay their fair share of dues including over 100B in unpaid rates owed to Nairobi alone! There is no commitment from the national government to support devolution,” Sifuna stated.
This comes as yesterday Kenya Power and Lightening Company (KPLC) refuted claims of owing Nairobi City County Government 4.1 billion wayleave charges.
They cited Section 223 of the 2019 Energy Act, which prohibits public bodies from charging levies on energy infrastructure without the consent of the Energy Cabinet Secretary.
“On the claim that we owe the county money, arising from wayleave charges, we wish to state that section 223 of the Energy Act 2019 prohibits Public bodies from charging levies on infrastructure without the authorization of the Cabinet Secretary,” KPLC said in their statement.
The electricity distributor accused City Hall of failing to pay their outstanding power bills of Sh3.1 billion.
The County government of Nairobi has been accused of failing to honor their agreed plan to honor the repayment structure they agreed on in December last year.
KPLC noted that while Nairobi County was expected to pay Sh60 million for old debts and Sh50 million for current bills each month, it only paid Sh36 million in January 2025—far less than the Sh330 million required to cover three months’ worth of bills.
They stated that after exhausting the diplomatic options it was then that they were forced to turn off electricity to several county facilities on February 14, 2025, a move that was met with swift retaliation.
County officials cut off water supply to KPLC’s offices and substations, even though the company had no outstanding water bills.
However, NCCG through its Secretary Godfrey Akumali accused KPLC of violating Legal Notice No. 4894 of 2001, which requires all service providers to pay wayleave fees.
Akumali claimed that KPLC has ignored numerous requests for payment dating back to 2002, despite aggressively enforcing payments from its customers.
The county has also expressed concerns about KPLC leasing its utility poles to internet service providers including Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Telkom Kenya, and Safaricom.
The County officials argued that KPLC has profited from these transactions while refusing to pay the required wayleave fees, citing a clear case of double standards.
In response to the impasse, county officials staged a protest by dumping truckloads of garbage at KPLC’s headquarters, blocking access to the building, and clamping both business and personal vehicles since yesterday as they threatened to withhold essential services such as garbage collection until KPLC clears its outstanding debt.
KPLC workers have henceforth been forced to work from home until the matter is resolved as the work environment is not suitable for human beings.
Yesterday, the Kenya Power Pension Fund, the legal owner of Stima Plaza called on KPLC and Nairobi County to amicably sort out their issues and restore services at the complex as their tenants including Cooperative Bank, health point among others are deeply affected by the actions by Nairobi City County government.