Kenya Power Employee And Accomplice Arrested For Soliciting Bribe To Reconnect Electricity

Two people, including an employee of the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), have been arrested for allegedly soliciting a bribe from a customer whose electricity had been disconnected, in exchange for reconnecting them to the national grid.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) of Kenya confirmed the arrest in a statement released on Friday, May 29.

The arrests followed a complaint filed on May 28, in which the suspects were implicated for seeking a bribe to restore a disconnected electricity connection.

“The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a Kenya Power employee and an accomplice for allegedly soliciting and receiving a bribe to reconnect electricity to a residential property,” the statement read in part.

“The arrest followed a complaint lodged with the Commission on 28th May 2026 by a resident whose electricity had been disconnected two days earlier.”

According to preliminary investigations, the suspect, Gerald Nyaoke, a technician attached to the Kenya Power Donholm Office, allegedly demanded KSh 30,000 from the complainant in exchange for restoring the power supply.

Following the complaint, EACC detectives initiated an operation that monitored and documented interactions between the complainant and the suspects.

This investigation culminated in their arrest after the alleged bribe exchange. Currently, the suspects are at the Integrity Centre for further processing and investigations.

In its statement, EACC reaffirmed its mandate to combat corruption, urging members of the public to report any incidents of bribery.

“EACC reiterates its commitment to combating corruption and calls upon members of the public to continue reporting cases of bribery and abuse of office,” the Commission stated.

According to a report by tuko.co.ke, a few weeks ago, another Kenya Power employee, Kennedy Wambani Oduor, attached to the Mbale-Vihiga office, was charged with bribery.

He was accused of soliciting a KSh 20,000 bribe from God’s Vision for Africa. The issue reportedly stemmed from a 2022 case in which Vision for Africa had reported a defunct electricity pole near its premises.

For a month, the company did not take action, prompting the organization to hire a private contractor to address the issue. Wambani allegedly became agitated over this replacement and threatened to disconnect the premises’ power supply unless he was paid a bribe of KSh 50,000.

“Despite several reports made to KPLC, no action was taken, prompting the organization to replace the rotten pole through a private contractor to avert the risk of electric shock and fire. Investigations established that Wambani allegedly became agitated over the replacement and threatened to disconnect the organisation’s power supply unless he was paid a bribe of KSh 50,000,” EACC said.