Sakaja Issues Orders After State House Summons Him Over Nairobi County-Kenya Power Row

The county boss spoke after he 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.

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Feb 26, 2025 - 13:30
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Sakaja Issues Orders After State House Summons Him Over Nairobi County-Kenya Power Row
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja at a Nairobi County Executive Committee on June 4, 2024. /JOHNSON SAKAJA

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has announced the resolution of hostilities between the county government and Kenya Power following a productive meeting with the Ministry of Energy.

The county boss spoke during a media briefing on Wednesday, February 26 after he 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 Johnson and Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi. Also in attendance were ICT PS John Tanui, key county government officials, security representatives, and Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC) members, discussing the ongoing dispute between Nairobi County and KPLC over wayleave bills amounting to Ksh4.8 billion.

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

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.

"It is unfortunate that one of the trucks tipped garbage, which is why it was collected in less than 30 minutes. That was not the intention. That matter will be dealt with internally," he added.

His comments came after a tense 48 hours in the city, during which Nairobi County stirred controversy by dispatching two garbage trucks to Stima Plaza.

While condemning the move, Sakaja insisted that the county government had the right to act against Kenya Power. He argued that, just as Kenya Power cuts off electricity for unpaid bills, the county also has legal avenues to enforce its claims.

"There has been a long-standing issue with payments, which used to be settled in the past. In the same way Kenya Power cuts power when there is non-payment, the county government also has remedies provided by law. Some of these actions include withdrawing county services and clamping buildings," Sakaja explained, citing the recently enacted Nairobi Rating Act.

The county government has demanded Ksh4.9 billion from Kenya Power, while KPLC has counterclaims totalling Ksh3 billion.

Sakaja stated that a verification exercise conducted over the past year revealed that some meters listed by KPLC were not actually located in Nairobi. Following this, a payment plan was agreed upon.

The standoff drew the attention of the National Assembly Committee on Energy, prompting its intervention. On Wednesday, the committee requested a response from CS Wandayi regarding efforts to resolve the dispute, which escalated when Nairobi County dumped waste at the entrance of KPLC’s headquarters and cut off water supply to its buildings.

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.

Meanwhile, Kenya Power and some of its affiliates have filed a court case against the Nairobi county government under a certificate of urgency. They argue that the county’s act of dumping waste and raw sewage in front of their office building violated the basic rights of their residents.

A photo collage of a garbage heap and trucks from Nairobi County government outside Stima Plaza in Nairobi on February 24, 2025. /SCREENGRAB.X

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