Five Kenya Power managers among 18 officers questioned over power outages

Eighteen officials, among them 5 senior managers at the Kenya Power company have been questioned in connection to the collapse of four towers on the Nairobi - Kiambere high voltage power transmission line.

The 18 staff members are under investigation following what preliminary investigations, describe to be vandalism at the scene of the collapsed towers. 

The five senior Kenya Power officials include Engineer Raphael Ndolo Kimeu, who is the acting general manager network management; Engineer George Korir Kipkoech, the chief engineer transmission countrywide, Major (retired) Geoffrey Kigen Kipkurui, who heads the countrywide management security service,  Peter Kithusia the chief security officer in charge of Nairobi region and Anthony Gathii Charamba, a technician along Juja road.

 According to the team of investigators drawn from the serious crime unit,  crime scene investigators and forensic photographic investigators who visited the scene of the collapsed lines at Imara Daima on  Thursday, January 13, the basement of the angle towers of Kenya Power high voltage power lines had been vandalized and the cross beams removed and unbolted.

This resulted in the angle towers caving in as they could not sustain the weight as well as those of the conductors which are very heavy. Four towers in total collapsed on Tuesday.

Between 4th December 2021 and 11th January 2022, the country has experienced three major power outages caused by collapsed power transmission lines.

 This coming at a time when the power utility firm has been in the spotlight amid a financial haemorrhage that saw the government in October last year declare Kenya Power a special government project as it set to audit and oversight reforms at the struggling energy giant. 

Five senior managers had been suspended from the state-run utility in December following a forensic audit, the move happening just a month after 59 members of its procurement team were also sent home to allow investigations into the company's supply chain. 

An inquiry has now been launched to ascertain whether or not the nationwide blackout was a result of sabotage and if so what role was played by each of the interrogated officials.