Kenya Power disconnects offices in Kisumu over unpaid bills

Kisumu's Prosperity Building on January 8, 2018. Power supply to the building which houses crucial offices was disconnected over unpaid bills amounting to Sh 1.24 million. PHOTO | JUSTUS OCHIENG | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

Following the disconnection, services in most offices at Prosperity Building have been disrupted.

Only LVBC and Huduma Centre which have separate metres have dully paid their bills.

Mr Obiero said they had also disconnected street lights in Kisumu over Sh15 million arrears.

The Kenya Power company has temporarily reconnected electricity supply to Kisumu's Prosperity Building which houses crucial offices in order to enable occupants process payment for Sh 1.24 million arrears.

Kenya Power had on Monday disconnected electricity supply to several crucial offices at the building over the arrears and was planning to disconnect street lights over Sh16.8 million debt owed by the county government.

Following the disconnection, services in most offices at Prosperity Building which houses the Lake Victoria Basin Commission offices, Huduma Centre, Immigration and county government offices among others have been disrupted.

SEPARATE METRES

Kenya Power Western Region Manager Dan Obiero told the Nation only LVBC and Huduma Centre which have separate metres have dully paid their bills.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Obiero said they had also disconnected street lights in Kisumu over Sh15 million arrears.

“The tenants at the building (Prosperity House) have a single metre save for the East African Community’s LVBC and Huduma centre. The other tenants have their own arrangements of paying their electricity bills and to date, they owe us Sh1.4 million,” Mr Obiero said.

The building also houses the county commissioner’s offices, Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Attorney-General’s offices and regional Administration Police offices.

“The county government has expressed interest in paying [the bills] but it is yet to effect that. If they pay today, we shall reconnect,” said Mr Obiero.

STREET LIGHTS

Residents have expressed fears that should the county government fail to pay for the reconnection of street lights, crime could escalate.

“We want Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o to effect the payments to avert any criminal upsurge in Kisumu town,” Kisumu City Residents Voice chairman Audi Ogada said.

But Governor Nyong’o’s press secretary Aloice Ager defended the county government saying they have updated their records and blamed Kenya Power over frequent power outages in Kisumu.

“As we speak (10:05 am) we don’t have power, not because it has been disconnected, but because of a blackout. We usually make our payments on time and I want to make it clear that we have no arrears owed to Kenya power,” Mr Ager said.

He went on, “For the street lighting, we usually pay KPLC Sh2.7 million per month; we do it on time and have no arrears at this particular moment.”