Kenya Power official charged with receiving Ksh.20K bribe

Detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Wednesday arrested a Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) employee attached to the Mbale-Vihiga office over allegations of soliciting and receiving a bribe from a local organisation.

The suspect, Kennedy Wambani Oduor, was arraigned before the Kisumu Anti-Corruption Court on Wednesday after investigations linked him to bribery offences involving officials from God’s Vision for Africa in Vihiga County.

According to EACC, the matter dates back to October 2022 when the organisation reported a damaged and dangerous electricity pole near its premises.

Despite several reports made to KPLC, no action was taken, forcing the institution to replace the rotten pole through a private contractor to avert the risk of electrocution and fire.

Investigators say Oduor allegedly became agitated over the replacement and threatened to disconnect the organisation’s electricity supply unless he was paid a bribe.

“The matter was subsequently reported to EACC, which commenced investigations. Following preliminary findings, the Commission mounted an operation that led to the arrest of the suspect while receiving Ksh.20,000,” EACC stated.

Court documents seen by Citizen Digital indicate that Oduor faces three counts of receiving a bribe contrary to Section 6(1) as read together with Section 18(1) and (2) of the Anti-Bribery Act No. 47 of 2016.

In the first count, prosecutors allege that on October 21, 2022, at Mbale within Vihiga County, Oduor, “being a person employed by a public body, to wit, KPLC as a Technician, requested for a financial advantage of Ksh.20,000 from Calvin Masitsa Ambajo so as not to disconnect electricity for an alleged offence of illegal disconnection.”

The second and third counts allege that the suspect separately requested Ksh.15,000 on October 24 and October 25, 2022, from the same complainant under similar circumstances.

EACC said upon conclusion of investigations, the case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which approved the bribery charges.

The suspect was booked at Kisumu Central Police Station before being presented in court on May 7, 2026.

He was later released on a cash bail of Ksh.200,000 with a surety of a similar amount pending further court proceedings.