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EACC summons Kenya Power bosses in probe

Monday, September 13th, 2021 07:00 | By
Kenya Power employees attending to a faulty transformer in a city estate. PHOTO/File

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has launched investigations into allegations of interference in procurement processes at Kenya Power.

As a result, nine directors of the Kenya Power have been summoned to appear before the EACC detectives starting tomorrow.

Among those summoned include Eng Abdirazaq Ali, Caroline Kittony and Njoroge Muhu who are expected to be grilled tomorrow. 

On Wednesday, the detectives will grill Eng Elizabeth Rogo, Kairo Thuo, and Sachen Gudka while Eng Isaac Kiva, Humphrey Muhu and Vivienne Yeda who is the chair of Board of Directors, are expected to appear at Integrity Centre on Thursday September 16.

In a letter dated September 10 EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak directed the officials to appear before investigators for interview and statement recording.

“To progress the investigations, kindly facilitate the below listed members of the Board of Directors to appear before our investigators at our Integrity Centre offices.

The probe comes barely a month after the former CEO of the troubled State-controlled electricity distributor Bernard Ngugi resigned under unclear circumstances, barely two years after his appointment.

Before his appointment, Ngugi was the head of the procurement division.

Ngugi had come under pressure from shareholders of the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) listed firm, government and trade unions over turnaround plans amid a streak of losses at the company.

Eng Rosemary Oduor was then appointed as the acting CEO with effect from August 4.

Forensic investigation

Last year, MPs demanded a forensic investigation on how the company bought faulty transformers and prepaid token metres.

Experts said the transformers had failed the company’s own quality tests as they were found to be of poor build, made of poor quality materials, were leaking oil and losing too much power.

In June this year, the National Assembly’s Public Investment Committee directed Kenya Power to make public the contracts it had with 17 independent power producers worth Sh50.22 billion.

The PIC also wanted the company to publish the names of the owners of the companies and how each of them won the tenders.

Reports indicate that the contracts were so secretive that even the Auditor-General said they had never seen them.

The PIC however maintained that the secrecy was unconstitutional as the company was a public company.

While appearing before the committee, former CEO Ngugi said he would need a court order and consent from the contractors to make the contracts public.

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