IG Kanja Roped Into Nairobi County-Kenya Power Row After Wetangula Summons Him

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has ordered that the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja be summoned to explain why no action had been taken against Nairobi County officials who dumped waste outside the Stima Plaza gate.

Wetangula on Wednesday, February 26 directed the Committee on Administration and National Security to summon the Police IG to get to the bottom of the publicized criminal behaviour by the Nairobi County Government against Kenya Power.

The summons followed a proposal by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah that those who dumped waste and garbage face criminal culpability.

"What we have seen around Stima Plaza is nothing short of criminal acts. As I watched the news last night, I kept asking myself where are the police who should be ensuring law and order in this country? The Inspector General of Police must take decisive action, starting with the drivers who operated those trucks. It should be easy for the IG, through the DCI, to extract information on who these drivers were," Ichung'wah demanded.

"From the drivers to those who instructed them even if it leads all the way to the governor, it should not matter. We cannot entertain criminality under the guise of recovering debts from public institutions. What happened today has real consequences."

The intense debate was brought to Parliament after a two-day standoff between the Nairobi County Government and Kenya Power.

Ultimately, Wetangula stated that the Inspector General would be summoned next week to provide a resolution on up to 10 criminal offences allegedly committed by the County Government.

"The Nairobi City County Government owes business owners billions in pending bills. If those owed by the county decided to retaliate by dumping garbage outside City Hall, how would the governor react? This is not just a criminal offence it is also a breach of integrity laws under the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act. These actions violate the NEMA Act, the Ethics and Integrity Act, and even economic crime laws. Deliberately dumping garbage on roads and sewers forces the use of public resources for cleanup, which amounts to the misuse of public funds," Ichung'wah added.

"If we allow this behaviour to go unchecked, we are empowering the very governors who, not too long ago, were demanding security officers under their command. Imagine if these governors had police officers at their disposal they would trample on everyone. That is why I call on the Inspector General of Police to take swift action against those responsible for dumping outside Stima Plaza."

The Kikuyu Member of Parliament also appealed to the business owners who have been affected and those who have had to shut down restaurants because of the mess to take civil action against the Nairobi City County Government for compensation due to lost business.

"Stima Plaza itself isn’t even owned by KPLC KPLC are just tenants there. The building belongs to pensioners our mothers and fathers who worked at KPLC and KenGen. Their livelihoods as landlords are now under threat because of the reckless actions of the county government. This must not be allowed to continue," he urged.

The conflict began when KPLC disconnected electricity to Nairobi County offices due to unpaid bills. In response, the county government swiftly retaliated by taking drastic actions, including dumping garbage at KPLC’s headquarters, blocking sewer lines, and cutting off water supply to its facilities.

The standoff drew the attention of the National Assembly Committee on Energy, prompting its intervention. On Wednesday, the committee requested a response from Energy Cabinet Secretary (CS) Opiyo Wandayi regarding efforts to resolve the dispute.

In response to the fiery back and forth, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja was summoned by State House Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei over the row that gained national attention with the dumping of waste outside the Stima Plaza gate on Monday.

Koskei chaired a meeting attended by Governor Sakaja and CS Wandayi. Also in attendance were ICT PS John Tanui, key county government officials, security representatives, and Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC) members, discussing the dispute between Nairobi County and KPLC over wayleave bills amounting to Ksh4.8 billion.

Following the meeting, Sakaja stated that the leaders had agreed to resolve the standoff peacefully, with both sides committing to ending hostilities.

“We’ve had a fruitful meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Energy led by CS Opiyo Wandayi, the Head of Public Service Kenya Power Limited and we had our officers and teams. We agreed on a number of issues. The first thing we have resolved is that all hostilities end, and issues be sorted out amicably,” he said, adding “We have now given instructions to restore water supply to their (KPLC) premises and to remove the trucks that had been blocking access."

Addressing the dumping of garbage outside Kenya Power offices, Sakaja described the incident as "unfortunate" and vowed to handle the matter internally.

Head of Public Service Felix Koskei during a meeting with Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja and other officials on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. /FELIX KOSKEI